Tenfold increase in endangered sika deer population in E. China nature reserve

NANCHANG, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- A population survey of sika deer in Taohongling Nature Reserve in east China's Jiangxi Province showed that its numbers have increased tenfold from four decades ago, the provincial forestry bureau said.

According to the survey, the population of this species rose to 624 in 2021 from less than 60 in 1981.

An endangered species under top national protection in China, the sika deer in the reserve belongs to the deer family of the south China subspecies.

Experts have conducted many investigations on the population of sika deer in the nature reserve since 1981 and have seen a steady rise in its numbers over the past decades.

Taohongling Nature Reserve, covering a total area of 125 square km in the city of Jiujiang, is an important protection base for wild sika deer.