BEIJING — The government of Beijing's Daxing district said on Aug 24 they will work with global partners to launch a new initiative on the research and protection of the rare deer species of milu.

Four Chinese government units and institutes, as well as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Britain's Woburn Abbey, will join the "Milu Conservation Union" launched on Aug 24, officials said.

They will join hands in population monitoring and genetic diversity assessment among China's milu population, it was announced at the Beijing International Milu Culture Conference.

Milu, also known as Pere David's deer, is endemic to China where it bears the nickname "sibuxiang," or "like none of the four" for its unique features — a horse's face, a donkey's tail, cow-like hooves and a stag's antlers.

Overhunting and habitat loss drove the wetland deer to extinction in the wild in the early 20th century. Only a few deer that were transported to Europe survived the extirpation and were later acquired by British duke Herbrand Russell to be raised at the Woburn Abbey. In 1985, joint efforts brought back 22 milu deer to China to rebuild its population.

Now about 7,000 milu deer live across the country, including more than 1,000 in the wild.