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麋鹿（Elaphurus davidianus）起源于中国，距今约有二三百万年的历史。在动物分类学上，动物分类学家将它归类为鹿科，麋鹿属，达氏种。历史上麋鹿共有5个物种，即双叉种（E.bifurcatus）、蓝田种（E.lantianensis）、台湾种（E.formosanus）、晋南种（E.chinanensis）、达氏种(E.davidiuans)；现存者为达氏种。
3000多年前，野生麋鹿发展至鼎盛时期，后因人类开垦麋鹿栖息地，滥捕滥杀以及动物本身的特化，导致野生的灭绝。在野生麋鹿逐步走向灭绝时，人工豢养麋鹿也随之开始，但最后也只有少数存于皇家猎苑，延续着它的家族。1894～1904年，当人工豢养麋鹿在中国本土灭绝时，英国乌邦寺庄主第十一世贝福特公爵，收买了世界上的18头麋鹿，放养在他的庄园，到第一次世界大战时，种群发展到88头。目前全世界有麋鹿2000余头，均为乌邦寺18头麋鹿的后裔。1985年8月24日，英国乌邦寺庄主特维斯托克侯爵赠送20头麋鹿给北京，原国家环保局将此鹿放回原皇家猎苑，并建立了南海子麋鹿苑。1986年8月14日，世界自然基金会（WWF）从英国伦敦动物学会7家动物园挑选了39头麋鹿，赠送给中国政府，原国家林业部则决定放养这批麋鹿于江苏大丰，同时建立了大丰麋鹿自然保护区。1994年，南海子麋鹿苑迁出部分麋鹿，在湖北石首建立了天鹅洲麋鹿自然保护区。这里值得一提的是，1998年11月5日，江苏大丰麋鹿自然保护区选择了8头麋鹿放归大自然，并于1999年3月28日、2000年4月22日各产一仔，从而结束了中国千余年没有野生麋鹿群的历史，为保护世界珍稀动物做出了成功的范例。
70年代在欧洲和美洲，科学家们对豢养在动物园和公园的麋鹿开展了形态、血液、行为、饲养环境、繁殖及声谱等方面的研究，且于1978年5月在美国斯密索尼科学院野生动物保护研究中心（Wildlife
Conservation and Research Center, Smithsonian Institution,U.S.A.）举行了一次关于麋鹿生物学和管理的研讨会。1983年，由纽约动物园B.B.Beck和华盛顿动物园
C.Wemmer等13位作者收集研究材料，撰写出版了世界第一部麋鹿专著《灭绝种麋鹿的生物学和管理》。70年代至80年代中期，中国的古生物学家们根据出土的化石对麋鹿地史、历史、古生态学、野生种群灭绝的原因和人工饲养及饲养条件下的麋鹿行为等进行了研究，在学术刊物上以及国际学术会议上发表了大量的学术论文。1986年，上海自然博物馆的古生物学家曹克清、邱莲卿、陈彬、缪柏茂等4位作者编著了中国第一部麋鹿专著《中国麋鹿》。该书从古代野生麋鹿的地理分布、生态环境、盛衰大势和恢复野生种群的地址选择等方面作了详细的叙述，弥补了《灭绝种麋鹿的生物学和管理》一书的匮乏之处，两部专著相互补充、相得益彰。
现生麋鹿野生放养的研究始于80年代中期。作者出于对麋鹿的挚爱和热忱，从事麋鹿半散放养和野生放养的科学研究及技术管理工作16年，对麋鹿的形态结构、栖息环境、生态系统、繁衍扩群、行为模式、疾病防治及保护生物学价值等方面进行系统研究，撰著了《中国麋鹿研究》。该书也许是前两部专著的延续和科学补充。
生物生生不息，一些物种不断出现，一些物种逐步走向绝灭。在自然界中，一种物种自然走向绝灭，人为的保护只能推迟其绝灭的时间，而不能使其不绝灭。如一种物种人为引起它走向绝灭，即使走到了绝灭的边缘，只要人类加以保护，就能使其重新发展，这是一个自然法则。麋鹿的演化过程就是例证。
Milu (Elaphurus davdianus) was native to China about two or three
million years ago. It is classified as family Cervidae, genus
Elaphurus and species Elaphurus davidianus. There used to be five
subspecies: E. bifurcates, E. lantianensis, E. formosanus, E.
chinanensis and E. davidiuans. E. davidiuans is the only living
species now.
Wild Milu thrived over 3000 years ago, but the wild herds kept
diminishing due to human beings’ cultivation of their habitats,
excessive hunting and the changes of the deer themselves. While
the wild herds were on the brink of extinction, domestication
of the deer started, but only a few of them survived in the Imperial
Hunting Park. A breeding population of 18 deer was established
at Woburn Abbey in England, under the care of the Duke of Bedford
from 1984 to 1904, when domesticated deer became extinct in China.
And the population had increased to 88 by the time of the First
World War. Now there are over 2000 deer around the world, which
are all the offspring of Woburn Abbey deer. On Aug. 24, 1985,
20 deer were sent from Woburn Abbey to Peking and released in
Nan Hai-tsu Park, which was set up on the site of the old Imperial
Park. On Aug.14, 1986, 39 deer were selected from 7 zoos of Zoological
Society in London, Britain and donated to Chinese government by
World Wildlife Fund (WWF). And Dafeng Milu Natural Reserve was
established in Jiangsu Province, China, to breed the deer in a
wild way. In 1994,some deer were moved from Nan Hai-tsu Park to
Tianezhou Reserve in Shishou, Hubei province. It should be noted
that 8 deer were selected to return to nature in Dafeng Reserve
on Nov.5, 1998, which gave birth to fawns on Mar.28, 1999 and
Apr. 22,2000.They were the first two wild deer in more than one
thousand years in China and this also set a perfect example of
protecting rare animals in the world.
In the 1970s,the scientists of Europe and America did research
on the form, blood, behavior, breeding environment, reproduction
and sound spectrum of Milu in zoos and parks. A workshop about
the biology and management of Milu was held in the Wildlife Conservation
and Research Center, Smithsonian Institution in U.S.A from May
3 to 5, 1978. In 1983,thirteen researchers, including B.B.Beck
of New York Zoo and C. Wemmer of Washington Zoo, wrote the first
book about Milu in the world: The Biology and Managenent of an
Extinct Species Pere David’s deer. From the 1970s to the mid-1990s,
Chinese paleontologists studied fossils and carried out researches
on palaeoecology; the geology and history of the deer; the cause
of the extinction of the wild population; artificial breeding
and the behavior of the domesticated deer. A large number of articles
were published in academic journals and international conventions.
In 1986 the first book, 《Chinese Milu》, written by paleontologists
Cao Keqing; Qiu Lianqing; Chen Bin and Mliu Baimao, was published.
《Chinese Milu》 makes a detailed explanation about the geographical
distribution, ecological environment and the site-selection of
restoring wild Milu’s population, which covers the shortage of
the book 《The Biology and Management of an Extinct Species Pere
David’s Deer 》(Milu is the name of Pere David’s deer in China).
The research on modern wildlife breeding of the Milu began in
the mid-1980s. Due to my love for the deer, I’ve been engaging
in the technological management and scientific research work on
the wildlife breeding of the deer for sixteen years. I’ve made
systematic research on the form and structure, habitat environment,
ecological system, reproduction and propagation; behavioral models,
the prevention and control of disease and the value of the deer
in conservation biology. My book, 《On the Milu (Elaphurus davidianus)
in the Reserves of China 》is considered to be the development
and improvement of the previous two books and one of the three
milestones in the research of Milu.
Life is everlasting. Some species appear, while some others disappear
gradually. In Nature, people’s preservation of dying species can
only pup off their extinction, rather than protect them against
it, when they are dying out naturally. However, if the decrease
in the numbers of the species was caused by the human beings,
they might revive only if protective measures are taken, even
though they are on the drink of extinction. This is the law of
nature, which is perfectly exemplified by the evolution of Milu.
I’m indebted to the financial support of the former Ministry of
Forestry. I’m also grateful to the staff at the following organs
and organizations: Chinese Scientific Committee of Rare Species;
Global Environment Fund (GEF); Wetlands International China Program;
World Wildlife Fund (WWF); Animal Institute, Chinese Academy of
Sciences; Forestry Institute, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai
Museum of Natural History and Department of Agriculture and Forestry
of Jiangsu Province
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