Abstract:[Objectives] Hydropotes inermis is a national second-class protected wild animal. Releasing captive-bred H. inermis into the wild can help restore wild populations. To study the activity patterns, altitude preferences, and home range of wild released H. inermis, we reintroduced 16 captive-bred individuals into Baohua Mountain in the Ningzhen Hills along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Fourteen of these H. inermis (six equipped with satellite trackers) were released in October and November 2022, and two (both with satellite trackers) in May 2023. [Methods] Data on positioning times and activity levels were organized and summarized, creating daily activity rhythm charts for the H. inermis, and a normality test was conducted using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov method. The significance of differences in daily activity rhythms across different seasons was analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The latitude and longitude data were imported into ArcGIS to calculate the elevation of each point, and the activity range maps were generated using R software and imported into ArcGIS for area calculation. The significance of differences among seasonal activity range areas was analyzed using one-way ANOVA, and the difference between breeding and non-breeding periods was examined using independent sample t-tests. [Results] From the initial release on October 13, 2022, to November 24, 2023, only one H. inermis individual continued to transmit signals, while 7 ind had stopped sending signals. Among those 7 ind, the dead bodies of 2 ind and the tracker of another were found, and 4 ind were missing (Table 2). The overall activity peaks for H. inermis in Baohua Mountain occurred between 03:00﹣06:00 and 15:00﹣18:00, with the lowest level of activity observed between 09:00﹣12:00 (Fig. 2). The elevation range of the wild released H. inermis was between 100 and 150 m, with no individual venturing into higher elevations (Fig. 4). The home range area varied by season, with average area was 0.693 ± 0.220 km2 in spring, 0.557 ± 0.170 km2 in summer, 0.473 ± 0.036 km2 in autumn, and 0.639 ± 0.118 km2 in winter. The average home range area during the breeding period was 0.676 ± 0.193 km2, compared to 0.562 ± 0.073 km2 during the non-breeding period (Fig. 5), although no significant difference between the two periods was found. Analysis of the missing individuals indicated that human disturbance was a major cause of mortality, posing a significant threat to the survival of H. inermis. [Conclusion] Despite necessary preparations before the wild release, such as health checks to ensure the animals met release standards and a period of rewilding training to help them adapt to the wild, were carried out, the success rate of the wild release was still low. Therefore, the release of H. inermis requires not only the selection of suitable seasons and locations for release, but also a thorough assessment of factors such as concealment conditions and the degree of human disturbance at the release sites. Management and protection efforts also need to be strengthened to reduce human interference and improve survival rates.