Wildlife conservation efforts successful in Hainan
27 June 2007
The population of the slope deer, a sub-species of swamp deer, has reached 1,785 in China's southern island province of Hainan with an annual 15% growth in the past 30 years, the latest survey by wildlife researchers shows, Xinhua (in Chinese) reported. Experts say there were just 26 slope deer in 1976 as a result of increased human activity and environmental degradation. Protection efforts, including nature reserve construction and cultivation of breeding stock in the wild, stopped the decline and allowed the species to flourish.