From Saturday 24 May, with L'Unione Sarda, the seventh and final volume of the series “I personaggi della natura”, edited by Ilisso Edizioni, will be available in newsstands. The protagonist? The Sardinian deer, one of the most fascinating and symbolic species of the island, which risked extinction and is now an example of environmental salvation and rebirth.

The Sardinian deer (Cervus elaphus corsicanus) is smaller and more agile than the European deer. It has adapted perfectly to the rugged and rocky landscapes of Sardinia, becoming a discreet but emblematic inhabitant of our forests.

Indiscriminate hunting, habitat destruction and lack of protection were wiping out the species: in Sardinia only a few specimens survived, while in Corsica it was already extinct.

In the 1980s, the WWF launched a national campaign to save the Sardinian deer. The goal was to create a reserve on Monte Arcosu, now part of the Gutturu Mannu Park, a strategic area for the survival of the species. It is here that the deer finally found a safe refuge and began its slow recovery.

In 1985, four deer left Sardinia for Corsica: two males and two females were welcomed into the enclosures of Quenza. Four more specimens joined them in 1987. After years of protection, in 1998 the first Sardinian deer returned free into the Corsican nature, more than thirty years after their disappearance.

Today, thanks to a long conservation effort, the Sardinian deer has returned to populate the woods of Sardinia and Corsica. It is one of the most significant stories of Mediterranean wildlife rescue, and demonstrates how much human action can make a difference.

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