Farmer Returns Home to Raise Red Deer, Broadening the Path to Rural Tourism Prosperity

"Hey, what's this?" On April 1, inside the modern characteristic ecological agriculture park in Banqiao Township, Qingchuan County, over a dozen out-of-town visitors were drawn to a group of animals they had never seen before. Beyond the steel-framed guardrail, in a brick-and-concrete pen of over 100 sq m, there were seven or eight furry animals that looked like horses yet also like deer. Some stood quietly gazing at the visitors outside the pen, some paced back and forth as if no one were there, and some suddenly broke into a sprint.

"This is red deer. They've just been separated into pens - the stags and hinds have to be kept apart," park manager Zhang Ya told the visitors. These red deer had been transported back last year over thousands of kilometers from **, and belong to a special breeding project.

It turned out that several villagers from Shangmafang Village in Banqiao Township were doing construction work in **. Seeing that raising red deer locally was very profitable, they decided to return to their hometown to raise red deer. It so happened that Banqiao Township was building a modern agricultural characteristic industrial park in Shangmafang Village, and the two sides hit it off immediately. In November last year, a red deer breeding compound with an investment of over 2 million yuan and covering over 20 mu was completed, and more than 110 red deer were promptly transported from ** to the park.

"Red deer are highly valuable, but we don't sell raw materials; instead, we rely on the company to develop a series of products. This way we can achieve sustainable development and also obtain higher returns," Zhang Ya explained. They predicted that on average, one red deer can yield a net profit of about 20,000 yuan a year. At present, the park's more than 150 red deer can generate an annual profit of over 3 million, and can also provide jobs for more than 100 local people.

"At present, the park is still operating on advanced funds, and returns will be seen after two years," Zhang Ya said. "The township Party committee helped us plan and coordinate a 70-mu red deer breeding compound, which is still under construction. Once completed, it will attract even more people to come sightseeing, boost the rural tourism here, and add more paths to prosperity for the people."