Distribution and status of white-lipped deer and associated ungulate fauna in the Tibetan Plateau

Investigated the distribution and status of Cervus albirostris and other high-latitude ungulates in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau of China from 1985-1988 and in 1990. The white-lipped deer occurs on the area of rhododendron and willow shrubs between spruce forests and alpine grassland at 4000-5000m in elevation. It is an adaptive animal occupying areas from rolling hills to rugged terrain, and is associated with a variety of ungulate fauna such as red deer C. elaphus, alpine musk deer Moschus sifanicus, Tibetan gazelle Procapra picticaudata, blue sheep Pseudois nayaur, Tibetan argali Ovis ammon hodgsoni and mainland serow Capricornis sumatraensis. The white-lipped deer's range once occupied suitable habitats in W Sichuan, E Qinghai, and NE Xizang as far north as the Qilian Shan area. The deer has disappeared from most areas of Qinghai due to the increasing pasturing of domestic animals and unrestricted hunting during recent decades. The main center of the deer's distribution is in NW Sichuan where human pressure is relatively low. Establishment of a conservation area is recommended in order to maintain populations of white-lipped deer and other unique fauna inhabiting the Tibetan Plateau. -from Authors