Yang Tao, the reserve's deputy director of management and scientific research, says the environment and dedicated efforts of those responsible for the deer has resulted in the massive increase in numbers.

In the country's three major protected areas — the Nanhaizi Milu Deer Park in Beijing, the Dafeng Milu Deer National Nature Reserve in Jiangsu province, and the Shishou reserve — the animal's population has increased significantly from just 39 in 1986 to over 10,000 now.