JINGZHOU, Hubei, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The fawn was apparently lost. Trudging across land where deep cracks had appeared as a result of the recent drought, the fawn nearly fell as its leg become stuck in one of the crevices.
"I think it was looking for its mom, or maybe for water," Li Pengfei, a senior engineer with the Shishou Nature Reserve in central China's Hubei Province, wrote down in his observation log.
A prolonged drought affecting regions near the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River has negatively impacted the Pere David's Deer, a rare species of deer known only in captivity, Li said.
"Even the way they walk is different now," he said, noting that the recent drought is the most severe to hit the area since 1991, when the nature reserve was founded.
Pere David's Deer are believed to be native to China's subtropical areas. Their Chinese nickname, "sibuxiang," translates as "like none of the four" and refers to their striking appearance. The deer appear to have the neck of a camel, the tail of a donkey, cow-like hooves and deer-like antlers.
The species was named after Pere David, a Basque missionary who was known as the first Westerner to introduce the animal to Europe in the late 19th century.
The deer went extinct in China in 1900 due to flooding and overhunting. In 1985, 22 specimens were brought to China from the world's last existing herd, which lived on the Duke of Bedford's estate in Bedfordshire, England.
China is now home to two-thirds of the world's total population of Pere David's Deer, with 3,000 of the animals living in the country. The Shishou Nature Reserve is home to 1,000 of them.
However, the lingering drought has shrunk the deer's natural habitat.
"More than 90 percent of our ponds have dried up," said Li.
The drought has also damaged the grasslands on which the deer feed. Hardy weeds like cocklebur were the only plants that survived.
"The deer are wandering around, carrying seeds from the plants," Li said, adding that the reserve's staff members have to go out with knives in the morning to curb the spread of the weeds.
The damage to the grasslands has caused the deer to start foraging in larger areas. In the past, one hectare of land was enough to feed a single deer.
"These days, each deer needs about two hectares to have enough food and water to survive," Li says.
