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New York zoo introduces tiny pudu deer

August 15, 2024

Pudus are tiny South American deer, with grown animals weighing only as much as a watermelon. And now a pudu fawn is making its debut at a zoo in New York City.

https://p.dw.com/p/4jWi9
Southern pudu deer standing on grass
Pudu deer are facing the destruction of its habitat in South AmericaImage: Jürgen & Christine Sohns/imageBROKER/picture alliance

One of the world's smallest deer species is making its debut at the Queens Zoo in New York City.

The tiny South American deer weighed 2 pounds (just under 1 kilo) when it was born in June, said the New Yorker Wildlife Conservation Society in a statement.

The southern pudu fawn is expected to weigh 15 to 20 pounds (7 to 9 kilograms) as an adult — the weight of a large watermelon.

Pudus are listed as "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

They are native to Chile and Argentina, where its population is decreasing because of factors including habitat destruction 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 share a Queens Zoo habitat with its parents.

ch/dj (AP)