NOUZILLY, France (AFP) -- French scientists have announced the successful birth of the world's first deer conceived by in-vitro fertilization, a technique they hope may help save threatened species in the future.

To test the process, the scientists implanted the embryo of a Japanese Sika deer, a non-threatened species, into a common deer. The deer delivered the fawn, named Milou, in August.

The researchers hope the process will help boost breeding programs by having common species carry the in-vitro fertilized embryos of closely related endangered species.