pere David's deer

Description:

In summer the coat is chestnut brown, in winter it is ash grey and much thicker.

Habitat:

This deer loves the vicinity of water, often on boggy ground. Hence their hoofs are very large, like those of reindeer, and they make the same clicking sound when walking.

Notes:

The last survivors of this chinese deer lived in the emperor's private park south of Peking in the 19th century. The french missionary père Armand David was the first european to lay eyes on them in 1865. Around 1900, the duke of Bedford assembled a herd of 18 adult individuals on his domain. These animals are the ancestors of all Pere David's deer actually alive in the world, the chinese herd being killed off in the beginning of the 20th century.