Standing at the same height as a piece of A4 paper, just 30cm tall, have you ever seen anything as cute as this? Yet to be named (we’ll get to that), this Philippine spotted deer fawn is the latest addition to Bristol Zoo Project. Keepers say he is healthy and feeding well, after making his first public appearance.
An extremely rare type of deer, with fewer than 700 Philippine spotted deer left in the wild, parents Pandora and Eugene only arrived at the zoo in June 2023 from separate zoos – Colchester and Chester. They were brought together as part of a breeding recommendation for the endangered species to safeguard the future of the species.
“Any new arrival here at the zoo is special, but when it’s a species that is so threatened in the wild, it makes this moment even more important,” said Will Walker, Curator of Mammals at Bristol Zoo Project. “Eugene and Pandora have been with us for almost two years now and this is their first fawn. They are both settling into parenthood and the baby is healthy and suckling.
“He may be tiny, but the fawn has an important role to play in the future of his species in the Philippines, where we have been working with local communities since 2014. Together with our partners, we aim to reduce illegal hunting and protect the remaining forests of Panay and Negros Islands and the wildlife within them.”
This tiny male Philippine spotted deer fawn is Pandora and Eugene’s first offspring but has yet to be named. That’s where you come in. Bristol Zoo Project is asking for help in naming the fawn, which is just over a week old. There are three names to choose from:
- Laserna, the name of a community that the Bristol Zoological Society works with in the Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park.
- Maliit, which translates to “little” in Filipino.
- Bulahan, which means “blessed” in Bisaya dialect, which is used on most Visayas Islands.
The poll is now open on Bristol Zoo Project’s Facebook page here. Or to visit the new fawn, book your tickets to Bristol Zoo Project by heading here.