the père david's deer ("elaphurus davidianus"), also known as the milu () or elaphure, is a species of deer that went extinct in the wild, but has been reintroduced in some areas. the milu is native to the river valleys of china, where it prefers wetland habitats. it grazes mainly on grass and aquatic plants. it is the only extant member of the genus "elaphurus". based on genetic comparisons, père david's deer is closely related to the deer of the genus "cervus", leading many experts to suggest merging "elaphurus" into "cervus", or demoting "elaphurus" to a subgenus of "cervus".