Milu deer fighting its way out of extinction

With hooves like a cow and a tail like a donkey, the Milu deer, also known as Père David's deer, looks like no other deer. Its uniqueness goes beyond its looks, though. The species is extinct in the wild.

See this unusual deer in the video above.

Native to China, the species went extinct in the early 1900's. The Milu deer was believed to have once roamed the marshlands in China, but by the 19th century, the world's only herd lived in the Chinese emperor's hunting park. Father Armand David, a French missionary, was the first European to observe the deer. From 1869 to 1890, several of the deer were brought to Europe.

"At that time, as the emperor of China was trying to open up relationships with Europe in the West, deer go from China to collections in Europe," explains Daniel Beetem, Director of Animal Management at the Wilds. "About the time of the Boxer Rebellion, with the peasant uprising and the flood, various different things, the last of these deer in China are wiped out."

The small group of deer brought to Europe was bred, leading to the survival of the species.

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