The Ministry of Environment has shared a video showing Caucasian red deer walking in Dilijan, Armenia.
Since 2013, the Armenian brunch of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Armenia) and the Ministry of Environment of Armenia have been implementing the Project entitled Reintroduction of the Caspian (Caucasian) Red Deer (Cervus elaphus maral) in Armenia with the support of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany (BMZ) through the KfW Development Bank, WWF Germany, Caucasus Nature Fund (CNF). The overall goal of the Project is to restore the population of the Red Deer in Armenia. It is implemented at the Breeding Center of the Red Deer (built аt the Dilijan National Park) by breeding the introduced animals and then releasing the deer born in the breeding center into the nature.
The red deer, for long time missing from Armenia, has made its return to the country in 2018. Within the framework of the Caucasian Red Deer Reintroduction Project, 14 individuals of the animal were brought to Armenia from the Islamic Republic of Iran (three animals were donated to the Republic of Armenia by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran). The Red Deer were transported to the Dilijan National Park, where the Red Deer Breeding Center had been built in advance.
By 2022, 21 fawns had already been born in the center. The release of the first group of 3 individuals to nature is planned in autumn 2022 after which 5-10 deer will be released each year.
