Père David's deer
Père David's deer were hunted to extirpation in their native China during the late 19th century, but were saved from total extinction by Europeans who had taken specimens back to zoos in France and Germany and successfully bred the deer in captivity. In the early 20th century, the British nobleman and politician Herbrand Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford, acquired a few Père David's deer from the Berlin Zoo and built up a large herd on his estate at Woburn Abbey. In the 1980s, the Duke's great-grandson Robin Russell, 14th Duke of Bedford, donated several dozen deer to the Chinese government for reintroducing the species to the wild. As of 2015, the wild population in China was about 700 individuals. All Père David's deer alive today descend from the 11th Duke's original herd.