Bristol Zoo born mouse deer has the height of a pencil | UK News

A mouse deer, born in the third national lockdown at Bristol Zoo, is the height of a pencil.

The small Malaysian deer is only 8 inches tall up to the shoulder, the zoo said.

The child, whose sex is not yet known, was born to mother Brienne for the first time.

When the little fawn is fully developed, it will weigh approximately 1.5 kg (3 lbs).

He is the second to be born at the zoo in the past decade.

In 2020, a female named Missandei was born and moved to Ouwehands Zoo in the Netherlands to continue the breeding program for the species.

Paige Bwye, senior mammal guardian at Bristol Zoo, said the new fawn “was doing very well” and her mother had been “very attentive to her baby”.

“It will take a little while before we are able to determine the gender of the fawn because it is so small and rather shy,” she said.

“He’s doing very well though and has recently started to discover new tastes, like sweet potato.

“They are absolutely fascinating to watch. They move on their slim legs like a pencil and munch on flowers and vegetables.”

Mouse deer are distant relatives of ordinary deer.

They feed on flowers and vegetables, foraging in the forests of their native Southeast Asia.