Pere David’s Deer

The Pere David’s Deer, or Milou, as a species is totally extinct in the Chinese wild. A French missionary named Father Armand David first discovered these deer in the Chinese Emperor's hunting park south of Peking in 1865. He sent specimens to Europe the following year, and a breeding herd was later set up by the Duke of Bedford at Woburn Abbey. The entire Chinese herd was destroyed during the revolution in 1900, but the herd in England was successful and increased in size. Eventually their descendants found their way into parks and zoos. Some of the offspring found themselves on ranches in this country. This seeding of animals has grown into herds large enough to sustain a huntable population. The Pere David has a longish tail and stands about 45 inches at the shoulder. Their color is a reddish gray with a white underside and a white ring around the eyes. The antler configuration is different in the Pere David than in most deer. Their antlers have forked brow tines and long slender back horns sometimes with many points off them. They are the only deer to grow antler tines backwards. Many say these animals have the body of a donkey, head of a horse, hooves of a cow, neck of a camel, and antlers of a deer.