A rare deer that lives in south China's Hainan Province has faced a tough time recently as the province has been suffering from a drought.

To try to help the deer, 300,000 yuan (US$36,000) has been allocated by the Hainan Provincial Forestry Bureau to provide food for the animals.

"Hundreds of the deer are struggling against starvation because their habitat is shrinking due to the drought," said Li Shanyuan, director of the Datian National Natural Reserve Area.

Datian, home to over 1,200 Eld's deer, is the largest protection area for the rare species in China.

About 1,000 kilograms of food were fed to the deer every day last year, but this has been increased to 2,000 kilograms, Li added.

"We distribute the food in dozens of sites in the reserve area," he said.

There are thought to be only around 3,000 Eld's deer left in the world.

They can also be found in other Asian countries and are known for their bow-shaped antlers.

Established in 1976, the deer family in the Datian natural reserve has grown rapidly over the past decades, he said.

(China Daily March 15, 2005)