AquaZoo Leeuwarden welcomes species extinct in the wild

In addition to the tiger, AquaZoo has welcomed another new species. The zoo in Leeuwarden has recently acquired two Pater-David deer, a species that is extinct in the wild.

Head zookeeper of AquaZoo William Kreijkes is very pleased with the arrival of these animals, "We are delighted to be able to contribute to the preservation of this species, which would no longer exist without the efforts of zoos."

Father David deer used to be commonly found in wetlands and swamps in China. However, due to intensive hunting, this species was almost extinct by the nineteenth century. In 1865, only a pack still lived in the garden of the Chinese emperor. Here the French Father Armand David saw them - and gave them their European name. The Chinese name is Milu.

Retained
After Father David's visit, a number of deer were sent to European zoos. When the last of the Father David deer living there were eaten in China after the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, only sixteen of this species remained in Europe. These were brought together by the Duke of Bedford on his English estate. After World War II, the animals were housed in various European zoos. In this way, the species was preserved and even grew considerably. There are now about 1,500 Father David deer worldwide, scattered among zoos and some reserves in China.

The two deer at AquaZoo also fall under this management program. These does come from the Czech Republic, where they were born last year at Ostrava Zoo. A third deer, a buck, will also be added in a while.

New residence
The animals are in a brand-new enclosure located near the tigers. Because deer in the wild like to seek out the water to eat aquatic plants and rest, two large, shallow wading areas have been created in which they can enjoy lying down.

Rick Merkx, theme park designer at parent company Libéma, says of the new enclosure, "Father David discovered the deer by peeking unseen in the Emperor's garden. Visitors can also view the animals here unseen by peeking through spot holes in a closed wall." There is also an extensive education board at the enclosure where the story of the deer is told through a comic strip. In addition, the observation tower has also been refurbished so that the new species can be enjoyed from there.

None of the four
In Chinese, the Father David deer is called "sze pu shiang." This means "none of the four." The animal is so named in Chinese because it looks like it is made up of the neck of a camel, the hooves of a cow, the antlers of a deer and has a donkey-like tail.

Kreijkes also says, "The Padre-David deer is the only species in which males sometimes get new antlers twice a couple of years. In addition, this animal is the only species in which the tips of the antlers point backward, in all other deer the tips point forward."

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