The pitter patter of tiny hooves can be heard across Whipsnade Zoo this summer, as a flurry of fawns have been born including 15 of a bambi-esque deer species that was classified as extinct in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2008
The Bedfordshire zoo has welcomed 15 Père David deer – which were hunted to extinction in the early 1900s – plus 26 fallow, eight sika and two barasingha in the space of four months.
The zoo’s free-roaming population of Chinese water deer have also experienced an influx of fawns, with the keepers estimating at least 50 babies across the entire site, boosting the total number of newborns to over 100.
Head of the deer and antelope team, Don Glyn, said: “These births are important victories for the European conservation breeding programmes that Whipsnade Zoo supports as Barasingha and Chinese water deer are vulnerable species, and Père David deer are sadly classified as extinct in the wild.
“When deer give birth, they hide their newborns in long grass out of sight of predators, so we’ve been checking all the hidden spots in their expansive habitat every day to get a tally of all of the newborns.”
Whipsnade Zoo is supporting international efforts to recover the Père David’s deer population. The 15 fawns can be spotted grazing alongside the other newborns in their sprawling home throughout the Passage through Asia – a drive-through habitat at the zoo.
Already facing threat from habitat loss, but thanks to conservation breeding programmes managed by zoos, some of the deer have been successfully reintroduced to the wild in selected areas of China.
“The new arrivals are proof of the incredible work we are doing to conserve precious species at Whipsnade Zoo,” said Don.
“The youngest Père David deer is just a month old, but we’ve spotted its older siblings taking a dip in our lake now that the weather is heating up. They love swimming, and visitors will hopefully be able to see them splashing about when they explore Passage Through Asia, Whipsnade’s only drive-through habitat.”
Whipsnade Zoo’s deer species have been so successful at breeding that some of the animals will be moved to new zoos as part of the conservation breeding programme, including three fallow and one Chinese water deer.
“Our deer population has grown so much that we can now find new homes for them, both for breeding and to educate visitors and encourage people to connect with the wildlife around them. Fallow deer reside right here in the UK, and it’s a great opportunity to shed some light on the amazing wildlife we have both at home and abroad,” explained Don.
A visit to Whipsnade Zoo this summer is not only a fantastic day out for the family, but each ticket funds vital work by international conservation charity ZSL across the world. To book a ticket and catch a glimpse of the newly born fawns, as well as 10,000 other animals, visit www.zsl.org/Whipsnade.
