"The elk is still in the reserve, and I saw it on the surveillance camera this morning." Niu Dongliang, director of the Management Affairs Center of Shanghai Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve, told reporters early this morning. This elk, a national first-level protected animal com

"This elk is still in the reserve, and I saw it on the surveillance camera this morning." Niu Dongliang, director of the Management Affairs Center of Shanghai Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve, told reporters early this morning. This national first-level protected animal elk, commonly known as " 四 unlike ", was discovered by the reserve patrol staff after going to work in early June. However, it is speculated that it had already come to Chongming during the epidemic control period, so it was at least protected. Stayed in the area for more than a month. Bizarrely, based on various signs, it is speculated that this elk wandered all the way from the Dafeng Elk Reserve in Jiangsu and crossed the Yangtze River. Many netizens watched the video and were concerned: Can the rubbish on the elk’s antlers be removed? Professionals said that bull elk often have "cool" behaviors of picking out mud and weeds during the estrus period. If you catch it rashly and help it clean up, it may cause harm to it.

Wild elk crossed the Yangtze River and came to Chongming

It is understood that as early as early June, when the rangers of Dongtan Nature Reserve resumed frontline patrols, they reported: A sika deer came to the reserve!

Sika deer? Because there are artificially bred sika deer in Chongming and there have been instances of escapes, no one paid much attention to them. Moreover, the ranger was far away from the deer at the time, so the photos taken were blurry and it was impossible to tell what kind of deer it was.

html On the morning of June 25, the ranger of the reserve once again reported the discovery of a deer. Therefore, the reserve immediately activated the monitoring system to conduct a search. Around 10 a.m., a relatively clear image was finally captured. After repeated identification by experts, it was determined to be an elk, which is a national first-level protected wild animal.

"Because front-line patrol personnel were unable to go to work during the epidemic lockdown period, it is now impossible to verify the specific day when this elk came to the reserve and from which direction it came. Based on what was discovered after going to work in early June Judging from the time, he has been in the reserve for at least a month and is now in good condition," Niu Dongliang said.

Where did this elk come from? There are elk breeding in Xincun Township, west of Chongming, but it was confirmed that the four elk did not "escape".

After various verifications, the reserve learned that in July last year, an adult male elk was found traveling alone in Gangxin District, Haimen City, Beixin Town, Qidong City, Yuantuojiao and other places in Jiangsu Province, and then disappeared. Since then, there have been sighting reports in many places along the river in northern Chongming, but most of them were reported as "sika deer". It can be inferred from this that the "sika deer" along the river in northern Chongming was a false alarm. It was most likely the same elk that appeared in Haimen and Qidong, Jiangsu. It swam across the river. It is reported that the narrowest point of the northern branch of the Yangtze River between Chongming Island and Qidong, Jiangsu is about 1,000 meters wide.

A netizen from Jiangsu posted a video of elk on Douyin last year.

"Currently, everyone agrees that this elk may be a wild elk or its descendant from the Dafeng Elk Reserve in Jiangsu Province and crossed the river on its own, but this is also speculation." Niu Dongliang said that most mammals Born to swim, elk are particularly good at swimming.

Elk swimming across the Yangtze River, have you imagined this scene?

It is reported that elk are a water-loving animal. In their native environment, they choose to move near water areas. They can move in shoulder-level water for a long time and eat a large number of aquatic plants in summer. According to records, elk are good at swimming and can escape floods.

So, why did this elk act alone and had no companions along the way? According to experts, elk usually live in groups, and each group of deer is led by a majestic "deer king". During the estrus every year, the young stags become agitated and fight with each other endlessly. The most powerful one will challenge the "deer king", and once he wins, he will become the new leader. The old "Deer King" often lives in isolation. Judging from its age and body shape, the elk in the reserve is probably a "veteran cadre" who does not want to return to the herd. Taking advantage of people's time at home to prevent the epidemic, he crossed the Yangtze River and came to Chongming to retire.However, there is also a theory that the elk lost the "struggle" during the estrus period and fled. After the elk's estrus period, it may wander back to its hometown.

Hanging garbage on the corner is a "cool" behavior

has been in the reserve for at least more than a month. The staff always pay special attention to it during patrols, and often care about it through surveillance videos. These days, the elk has been in good spirits and has normal eating and drinking activities. Only the fishing nets, foam plastic and other sundries wrapped around its horns are getting in the way. Therefore, after watching the video released by the reserve, some netizens said, "It's a little pitiful to see the garbage hanging on it. Can you help it take down the garbage?"

In comparison, the staff of the reserve said that adult male deer are born between 5 and 8 years ago every year. During the estrus period, Yue often has the "cool" behavior of picking grass and mud, but this time he picked some garbage. If you help him get it down, he may pick other things up again, and it is easier to capture it by force in the wild environment. Regarding the damage caused to it, "There are no bushes in the area where the elk currently moves, and there will be no accidents such as getting stuck. We will monitor closely and rescue the elk as soon as possible if there is an accident."

It is reported that in winter, the elk will The old corners will fall off naturally, and the garbage will fall off with it.

Some netizens saw that it was lonely and asked whether they should find a partner for it. In this regard, experts said that the spread of wild animal populations is a natural process, and there may be deer crossing the river in the future. There are currently reintroduction projects in the west of Chongming Island. It remains to be seen whether the elk in the reserve will need to be mingled with the elk in the west in the future. In addition, China’s elk population has reached nearly 10,000, and there is no rush to promote breeding.

The protected area reminds citizens that although the protected area has abundant water and grass and is quiet and pleasant, there is no guarantee that this "veteran cadre" will not wander out of the area. If citizens encounter elk, they can only watch it from a distance, do not approach it, and do not feed it. Not to mention chasing or teasing, because the wild deer has a bad temper.

The elk picked some rubbish on its antlers, and that was intentional.

The population of elk in my country has reached nearly 10,000.

Experts said that the elk crossing the Yangtze River this time also reflects the achievements of elk protection in my country. According to data from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration in 2021, after more than 30 years of hard work, the current population of elk in my country has reached nearly 10,000, of which the wild population has reached 4,400, distributed in about 83 locations.

In my country, elk are mainly distributed in three major protected areas: Beijing Daxing Elk Park, Hubei Shishou Elk National Nature Reserve and Jiangsu Dafeng Elk National Nature Reserve.

The elk is a national first-level protected wild animal. It is commonly known as the "Four-Unlike" because its head is like a horse, its antlers are like a deer, its hooves are like a cow, and its tail is like a donkey, hence its name.

In 1865, the elk were discovered by a French priest and transported to Europe one after another from China. At that time, the wild elk in our country had long been extinct, and the last group of them were artificially raised in the Qing Dynasty Royal Hunting Garden in Nanhaizi, Beijing.

In 11900, the Eight-Power Allied Forces looted wildly, the hunting garden was destroyed by the war, and the elk became extinct in China.

Around 11900, the United Kingdom collected 18 elk from some European zoos and released them in Ubang Temple Park. The elk herd has now multiplied to 600. In 1985, the Marquess of Tavistock in Ubon Temple Park in the UK returned 20 elk to China. Since then, the elk have returned to China and are multiplying and growing day by day.

Historically, elk were also a native species in Shanghai. Shanghai started a research project on elk population recovery last year. A total of four elk, one male and three females, were introduced from the Dafeng Elk Reserve in Jiangsu Province and roamed freely in a woodland in Xincun Township, west of Chongming. Related reports click here.

Elk in Xincun Township

Picture source: Yu Wenyan Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve