Tiny South American Deer Debuts at New York City Zoo
A southern pudu fawn, one of the world’s smallest deer species, has been born at the Queens Zoo in New York City. Weighing just 2 pounds at birth, the fawn is expected to reach an adult weight of 15 to 20 pounds. The southern pudu is listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and is native to Chile and Argentina, where its population is declining due to habitat loss and invasive species. To support conservation efforts, the Queens Zoo collaborates with other zoos to maintain a genetically diverse population of southern pudus; a total of eight fawns have been born there since 2005. The fawn will live in the zoo’s habitat alongside its parents, and two other pudus are housed at the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn.
A tiny South American deer that will weigh only as much as a watermelon when fully grown is making its debut at the Queens Zoo in New York City.
The southern pudu fawn weighed just 2 pounds when it was born June 21, the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs New York City‘s zoos, said in a news release Thursday. It is expected to weigh 15 to 20 pounds in adulthood.
The southern pudu, one of the world’s smallest deer species, is listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is native to Chile and Argentina, where its population is decreasing because of factors including development and invasive species.
The Queens Zoo breeds southern pudus in collaboration with other zoos in an effort to maintain genetically diverse populations, the conservation society said. Eight pudu fawns have been born there since 2005.
The newborn fawn will a Queens Zoo habitat with its parents. There are two more pudus at the conservation society’s Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn.
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