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| Common Name: | White-lipped deer | Family: | Cervidae |
| Latin Name: | Przewalskium albirostris | Diet: | Herbivore |
| Type: | Mammal | Habitat: | Woodlands, Grasslands |
| Native To: | Asia | Social Unit: | Group |
| IUCN Red List Status: | Vulnerable |
White-lipped deer at Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo has sixteen white-lipped deer. Male Tavian and female Cici came to us in March 2007 from Poznan Zoo, Poland, where they were both born in June 2006. In October 2008 they were joined by another female. She came from Lodz Zoo, Poland and was born in June 2007. April 2009 saw the arrival of thirteen white lipped deer from Berlin. In June 2009, our female Cici gave birth to a son, Gansu, who was named after a province in China.
Where it can be found at Edinburgh Zoo
Our white-lipped deer can be found in one of the hill-top field enclosures.
White-lipped deer in the wild
At one time, white-lipped deer (Przewalskium albirostris) could be found across much of the Tibetan plateau. Now, the species currently occurs in fragmented populations in eastern Tibet and the Qinghai province of China, mainly inhabiting the high-altitude coniferous forests, rhododendron, and alpine meadows of the Tibetan Plateau.
This is one of the largest species of deer, with a body measuring 190 – 200 cm (about 6 – 6.5 feet) long and standing 120 – 130 cm (about 4 – 4.5 feet) at the shoulder. It weighs 130 – 140 kg (about 285 – 310 lb). It has brown, slightly grizzled coat, with pure-white hair on the muzzle, chin, under parts, rump, eye-ring and throat. Males carry quite large five-pronged antlers that can measure up to 1.3 m (4 feet) across.
White-lipped deer feed mainly on grasses, herbs, lichens, the leaves and bark of trees and bushes and sedges. They appear in seasonal herds and female families. Males and females live separately except during the breeding season.
Although exact numbers of white-lipped deer in the wild are unknown, they do face severe threats. They are hunted for meat, antlers, and other organs, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Competition with livestock is another threat to this species, with livestock over-grazing leading to habitat degradation. Because of these threats, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed this species as Vulnerable, meaning that it is considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable
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