9 milu deer fawns born in China's Inner Mongolia

HOHHOT -- Nine milu deer fawns were born at the Daqingshan Nature Reserve in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, said the reserve's management bureau.

It is the first generation of offspring born to the milu deer that were released into the wild in the region.

In September 2021, to rebuild the wild population of the endangered animal, China released 27 milu deer into the reserve.

The staff at the reserve put satellite tracking collars on the deer to monitor their activities in the wild, allowing researchers to receive timely information about their health conditions in order to ensure their safety.

The latest monitoring results show that the deer population has initially adapted to the alpine climate and successfully reproduced, which indicates that the wild release of the deer into nature has achieved early success.

Milu deer, also known as Pere David's deer, are endemic to China where they bear the nickname "sibuxiang," or "like none of the four" due to their unique features -- a horse's face, a donkey's tail, cow-like hooves and a stag's antlers.

The milu deer is under first-class national protection in China. Currently, its population has reached nearly 10,000 in the country.