It had been 2,000 years since it had happened in the Alpes-Maritimes and, as a result, and it is already nicknamed "the little miracle": a baby elk was born on May 22 within the Reserve of Monts d'Azur . "Archaeological work has confirmed that there has not been a birth of this type for so long", explains to 20 Minutes Elena Longour, the co-founder of this 400 ha park north of Grasse (Alpes- Maritimes) where many animals roam freely.
Developed from 2005 by her husband, veterinarian Patrice Longour, the Monts d'Azur Reserve was created to resettle wild species in the south of France following their disappearance. After the European bison and the Przewalski horses, in particular, the park had welcomed last November three female elks, transferred from a zoo in Sweden. "And one of them was full. We were not reassured with the transport, but she was able to complete her gestation, ”explains the manager.
"And this little one, whose sex we do not yet know, his mother being very protective, is the first of this tribe to live again in freedom," notes Elena Longour. For the moment placed away from the other animals of the reserve, the time to re-acclimatize to the wild life, the elk should be "deconfined" in spring 2021. "At the same time, we should welcome males", explains she still.
Planet
We went to observe the deer slab in the Monts d'Azur Biological Reserve
Coronavirus
Bearded vulture, black grouse, toad ... Mercantour wildlife breathes during confinement
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