IUCN status
Extinct In The Wild
Scientific name
Elaphurus davidianus
Order
Artiodactyla
Family
Cervidae
Region
China
Habitat
Grasslands

The Père David's deer is extinct in the wild, but we're working together with other conservation zoo's to recover their numbers. Our herd is a part of the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme, a tool used by zoos, aquariums and wildlife parks across Europe to manage conservation breeding programmes to ensure a healthy and diverse population of animals.

Already facing threat from habitat loss, these deer were hunted to extinction in the wild in the early 1900s, but thanks to conservation breeding programmes managed by ZSL in 1986 together with other zoos, some of the deer have been successfully reintroduced to the wild in selected areas of China.

Conservation breeding at the Zoo

Père David's deer facts

  • In its native China the species is considered to have a mixed appearance, made up of the neck of a camel, hooves of a cow, tail of a donkey and antlers of a deer and as such is known as ‘sze pu shiang’, which means ‘none of the four’. 
  • Père David's deer are known for their unique antlers which point up and backwards.
  • Père David's deer are the only type of deer to have 2 sets of antlers in a single year.

Père David's deer conservation

In 2023, we welcomed 13 extinct in the wild Père David's deer fawns to Whipsnade Zoo. 

In 2020 we welcomed 14 fawns to the herd, an important milestone towards conserving the species. Born with Bambi-esque white spots on their backs that fade as they get older, the fawns have been spotted by keepers skipping around their Passage Through Asia home – a habitat which visitors can usually drive around to see the deer, and the camels that they share their home with.

Pere David's Deer fawn close up at Whipsnade Zoo

Conservation is more than deer to us

  • Scmitar-horned Oryx introductions in Chad
    Ground-breaking reintroduction

    Scmitar-horned Oryx introductions

    Restoring the scimitar-horned to its historical range in the 78,000km² Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Game Reserve in central Chad.

  • La Palma pupfish in an aquarium at Whipsnade Zoo
    Breeding some of the rarest fish on earth

    Freshwater fish conservation

    Our aquarium is a hub for global conservation, as we recover some of the most endangered fish species in the world.

  • Family of four at Whipsnade Zoo in with the lemurs
    Get closer to wildlife

    Whipsnade Zoo Tickets

    Explore a world of wildlife at the UK's biggest Zoo

  • Learn more about our role as a conservation zoo