BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The milu deer is believed to have originated 2-3 million years ago, and is a species endemic to China.
Overhunting and habitat loss drove the wetland deer to extinction in the wild in the early 20th century.
Only a few deer that were transported to Europe survived the extirpation.
In 1985, 22 milu deer were brought back to China to rebuild its population after joint efforts.
In recent years, China has established three reserves in Beijing, Hubei and Jiangsu to enlarge the milu deer population.
After many years of efforts, the population of artificially bred milu deer has kept increasing.
Species reconstruction in the wild has also been conducted.
Now the milu deer is under first-class national protection in China.
Currently, its population has reached nearly 10,000 in the country.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
