The Courier has teamed up with Blair Drummond Safari Park to offer readers the chance to win a family pass for two adults and two children each week - and learn a bit more about their residents at the same time.
Last month, the park welcomed a new baby - a Pere David’s deer called Nancy - to the world.
Nancy was born on April 29 and can be spotted in the Asian animal drive-thru reserve with the rest of her family.
Education and communications officer Jamie-Leigh Green said: “Believe it or not, our herd of Pere David’s deer are some of the rarest animals we have here at Blair Drummond Safari Park.
“This is because they are now classified as ‘Extinct in the Wild’, meaning that they can only be found in captivity.
“Pere David’s deer were originally native to China but became extinct in the wild about 100 years ago after floods and hunting wiped them out.
“This unique species is named after Père David – a French missionary and zoologist who discovered the last of the breed in the Imperial Park in Beijing in the late 1800s.
The Chinese Emperor then agreed to send a number of these animals to Europe, which flourished in captivity. The most successful captive population was maintained by the 11th Duke of Bedford, who was able to successfully breed the deer on his estate and build up a large herd.
“Thanks to this decision to move the remaining deer into captivity, the population has increased and the deer now number in their thousands.
“In Chinese, their name translates to ‘none of the four’.
“This name comes from the distinctive looks of the animal, which some people say look a bit like a cow, a deer, a horse and a donkey, but at the same time none of the four!
“They are also unique in that they are semi-aquatic animals, spending long periods of time standing in deep water. To accommodate this, their hooves are actually webbed to help them push through the water as they swim.”
Blair Drummond Safari Park is open seven days a week, from 10am until 5.30pm. Tickets can be booked online at blairdrummond.com.
For a chance to win a family pass, which can be used any one day
during the park’s opening season this year, just answer the following question:
Where are Pere David’s deer native to?
Send the coupon with your answer, name, address and contact number to: Safari Park Competition, West Lothian Courier, One Central Quay, Glasgow, G3 9DA. The deadline is Wednesday at 4pm. Only original vouchers will be accepted, no photocopies.
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