Deer reserve dedicated in Middle atlas

A reserve to preserve deers and help the species reproduce was dedicated on Wednesday in Oulmes in the Middle Atlas Mountain.

The reserve, set up by the Moroccan department of water and forests in cooperation with a Czech forests institute and the Food and Agriculture organization (FAO), will favor the reproduction of the deer tribe in this region where appropriate flora grows.

The project, worth $ 180,000, will be financed by Czechoslovakia which will also supervise the deer tribe evolution over three years.

Three male and four female deers from the Anti-Atlas mountain were reintroduced in the region.

Once the tribe consolidated, hunting will be allowed in the reserve to generate funds for the management of the project. Hunters will have to pay between 30,000 and 60,000 Dh (US $ 3,000 to 4,000) for each hunted deer.

The forest department estimates that between 700 and 1,600 deers are living in Morocco.