Reintroduction Overview of Elaphurus davidianus in China and Suitability Evaluation of Released Sites
After 37 years of reproduction,rejuvenation,and wild release in China,the population of Ela-phurus davidianus has fully covered historical distribution areas,and the distribution locations have in-creased from 2 sites at the time of reintroduction to 89 ex-situ conservation sites,with a population of o-ver 12 000,among which 6 wild populations have been established,with a total number of 5258.From reintroduction to successful released into the wild,the conservation of Elaphurus davidianus in China has become a model in the history of global wildlife conservation.The key to the successful reintroduction of Elaphurus davidianus was the scientific and rational selection of released sites.By introducing the reintro-duction overview of Elaphurus davidianus in China and evaluating the suitability of the released sites,in-cluding the availability of natural vegetation resources,quality and quantity of natural water resources,disease risks,inter species competition,human-deer conflicts,predation of natural enemies,and sudden natural disasters,this paper provided a basis for standardized management of Elaphurus davidianus in China and a reference for the wild release of other species.