What it is
The red deer is a large Eurasian cervid. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. The North American elk, or wapiti (Cervus canadensis), is a close relative with a parallel story of hunting, clearance, and later recovery in parks.
Range
Native across Europe and western Asia, with many island and mountain populations. Density now follows hunting law and forestry more than Ice Age steppe and woodland.
What happened
People have hunted red deer since the Late Pleistocene. Forest clearance removed them from some lowlands; elsewhere game parks and modern forestry produced high local densities. Some island subspecies are rare. The species as a whole is not threatened — its geography is anthropogenic.
When / status
Still here and, in much of Europe, numerous under management.
Human role
Hunting and clearance shrank some populations; later gamekeeping increased others.
Sources
IUCN Red List (Cervus elaphus, Least Concern).