Endangered milu deer fight for mating rights in Dongting Lake reserve

In East Dongting Lake Nature Reserve in central China's Hunan Province, milu deer, an endangered species native to the country, have recently entered breeding season, leading to a "king of the deer" duel between two male stags vying for mating rights.

The reigning stag, identified by its antlers, is six or seven years old. It has attached branches and weeds to its antlers, making itself appear even more imposing.

The challenger stag, one to two years younger, engaged in a fierce antler battle with the "king." The two stags charged at each other and clashed their antlers, trying to throw each other off-balance. With the challenger suffering severe injuries, the reigning stag managed to maintain its position as the victor.

Notably, the king stag wore a collar around its neck which contains a BeiDou Satellite positioning device, allowing researchers to track it more efficiently. According to experts, the collar indicates that this stag was introduced from a captive breeding population elsewhere. Its success in the competition demonstrates that the deer once in captivity have been effectively rewilded.

Milu deer, also known as Pere David's deer, is an endangered species under first-class state protection in China. Due to climate changes and poaching, they went domestically extinct in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

In 1985, China re-introduced milu deer from overseas and initiated conservation projects, promoting the rewilding of captive populations in nature reserves. By the end of 2024, the milu deer population reached over 14,000 individuals in 92 habitats nationwide in China.

The Dongting Lake population is the most successful in terms of rewilding, with hundreds of deer now living in the area.

(Cover: Milu deer in the Yellow Sea Wetland in Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, east China, May 7, 2025. /VCG)