Oh, deer – new strategy to protect Chile’s most endangered hoofed animal

The South Andean deer is the most endangered hoofed animal in South America

It features deep set eyes, it has distinctive fury antlers, it’s about the size of toddler and now there’s a bold new plan to save the species from extinction.

The deer’s numbers have been dwindling for quite some time now, with estimates suggesting just 1,500 remain.

The animals exist in fragmented and isolated groups, meaning they are susceptible to freak weather events while also suffering from poor genetic diversity.

Conservation efforts to save the species have recently been ramped up in Chile.

Environmental organisation Rewilding Chile has started buying areas of wilderness and grazing land in Patagonia.

In 2018 it gave 400,000 hectares of land back to the government, which will be used to create a Route of Parks connecting 17 national parks over the southern region of Chile.

At the centre of this all is a deer corridor, with the ultimate goal of restoring the interconnectivity of populations along the length of Patagonia.

While the animals will still have to battle the ongoing effects of climate change it’s hoped these corridors will give the cute animals a prosperous future.