Unique Mysterious Plateau Species of China – Qinghai-Tibetan Sacred Deer, Only 3 Remaining Abroad
In China's Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas, a precious Chinese native animal, the white-lipped deer, lives. It is an ancient species that was once widely distributed in the central Himalayas. The white-lipped deer was considered a 'god deer' in native myths, and its mount was a white-lipped deer. The deer was often accompanied by the Star Deity to wish for longevity. To date, this precious species exists only in Sri Lanka and Nepal, with one pair each, all of which were gifted by China.
The white-lipped deer is a typical high-altitude animal, active in 3500-5000 meters of high-mountain coniferous forests and high-altitude alpine meadows. The climate there is usually very cold, and it is mainly distributed in high-altitude grasslands in China's Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas, such as Qinghai, Gansu, western Sichuan, Tibet, and Yunnan. Due to its sparse habitat, it was not recognized until the 19th century in Gansu and Sichuan's Batang, which triggered widespread attention from the international animal science community.
Encountering a Tibetan white-lipped deer, a national level protected animal.
Among the entire deer family, the white-lipped deer belongs to a large species, and adult white-lipped deer is like a horse in size. Its length is 100-210 cm, and its weight is 130-200 kg. Its most prominent feature is a pure white lower lip, which extends to the upper throat and both sides of the muzzle, as if wearing a white mask. Therefore, it is also known as white-nosed deer or white-lipped deer.
White-lipped deer crossing rivers
The white-lipped deer belongs to a single genus, with the white-lipped deer as its only species, without subspecies differentiation. Therefore, the white-lipped deer has become a unique and precious animal in China.
In the 70s, China respectively gifted Sri Lanka (now with 1 specimen surviving) and Nepal each a pair, and no other country has obtained this China native deer.
However, due to various reasons, the distribution area and population of the white-lipped deer are decreasing rapidly. Because of its high medicinal value, the white-lipped deer is often hunted by poachers. In addition, the distribution of the white-lipped deer is now island-like, and the lack of gene exchange between communities is a major threat to the survival of the white-lipped deer in the wild. Now, the white-lipped deer is listed as a national level protected animal, and some regions have effectively controlled hunting. In the past ten years, the protection zone has taken a series of protection measures, and the white-lipped deer's habitat has been gradually improved. In January of this year, a villager from Baiyu County, Sichuan, photographed a group of white-lipped deer drinking and resting by the stream. It is estimated that there are about 3000 white-lipped deer in Baiyu County.
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