when the species was assessed for the iucn red list (1996), it was classified as "critically endangered" in the wild, under criterion "d": "[wild] population estimated to number less than 50 mature individuals". in october 2008, they were officially listed as extinct in the wild, though this is no longer accurate. today, there are 53 herds of père david's deer in china. nine of the herds consist of 25 or under deer, and the remaining herds have under 10 deer. due to the small population size a lack of genetic diversity is expected, but in spite of the small population size, the animals do not appear to suffer genetic problems from the genetic bottleneck. the captive population in china has increased in recent years, and the possibility remains that free-ranging populations can be reintroduced in the near future.