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Meet the latest arrival at Belfast Zoo - a Southern pudu deer

 

Belfast Zoo keepers have said hello to the latest arrival as the world's smallest deer the Southern pudu has given birth. Expand
The latest arrival was born to father Mr Tumnus and mother Susan on 18 June 2017. Expand
Adult Southern pudus measure only 43 centimetres in height when fully grown - pictured is father Mr Tumnus. Expand
When fawns are born they are a light brown colour and their fur is covered with small white spots. Expand

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Belfast Zoo keepers have said hello to the latest arrival as the world's smallest deer the Southern pudu has given birth.

Belfast Zoo keepers have said hello to the latest arrival as the world's smallest deer the Southern pudu has given birth.

The latest arrival was born to father Mr Tumnus and mother Susan on 18 June 2017.

The latest arrival was born to father Mr Tumnus and mother Susan on 18 June 2017.

Adult Southern pudus measure only 43 centimetres in height when fully grown - pictured is father Mr Tumnus.

Adult Southern pudus measure only 43 centimetres in height when fully grown - pictured is father Mr Tumnus.

When fawns are born they are a light brown colour and their fur is covered with small white spots.

When fawns are born they are a light brown colour and their fur is covered with small white spots.

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Belfast Zoo keepers have said hello to the latest arrival as the world's smallest deer the Southern pudu has given birth.

Belfast Zoo has welcomed a new arrival to the Cavehill site - a Southern Pudu, which is the world's smallest deer.

The new addition was born on June 18 to father, Mr Tumnus and mother, Susan.

The Southern pudu originates from the lowland forests of South Chile and South-west Argentina.

Adults measure only 43 centimetres in height when fully grown and, at birth, a fawn is so small that it weighs less than a bag of sugar.

The latest arrival was born to father Mr Tumnus and mother Susan on 18 June 2017. Expand

Close

The latest arrival was born to father Mr Tumnus and mother Susan on 18 June 2017.

The latest arrival was born to father Mr Tumnus and mother Susan on 18 June 2017.

The latest arrival was born to father Mr Tumnus and mother Susan on 18 June 2017.

 

Senior keeper, Allan Galway, said: “Although small in size, our fawn is massively important to Belfast Zoo and to the European breeding programme for the Southern pudu. 

"The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers this species to be vulnerable to the threat of extinction and numbers in the wild have dramatically declined in recent years due to loss of habitat through deforestation, hunting and predation.”

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Adult Southern pudus measure only 43 centimetres in height when fully grown - pictured is father Mr Tumnus. Expand

Close

Adult Southern pudus measure only 43 centimetres in height when fully grown - pictured is father Mr Tumnus.

Adult Southern pudus measure only 43 centimetres in height when fully grown - pictured is father Mr Tumnus.

Adult Southern pudus measure only 43 centimetres in height when fully grown - pictured is father Mr Tumnus.

 

Allan added: “We have been giving Susan and her new arrival some space to bond so have not yet determined the sex of the new arrival or given the fawn a name. 

"When fawns are born they are a light brown colour and their fur is covered with small white spots.  This helps the infant to camouflage in the undergrowth especially when they are left alone while the mother feeds.”

Belfast Zoo’s Southern pudu family share their home with some other South American amigos including Southern screamers and red howler monkeys.

When fawns are born they are a light brown colour and their fur is covered with small white spots. Expand

Close

When fawns are born they are a light brown colour and their fur is covered with small white spots.

When fawns are born they are a light brown colour and their fur is covered with small white spots.

When fawns are born they are a light brown colour and their fur is covered with small white spots.

 

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