Chester Zoo have announced the arrival of an extremely rare Philippine spotted deer.
The tiny female youngster, Lyra, was born to mum, Nova, and dad, Cosmos, after an eight month gestation period. Her name follows a celestial theme shared by both of her parents.
The baby weighed in at just 3kg and represents a successful addition to an acclaimed conservation breeding programme which was set up at the request of the Philippine government to ensure a genetically viable population live in leading European zoos.
🦌 SUPER RARE DEER BORN! 🦌
— Chester Zoo (@chesterzoo) March 22, 2022
We’re celebrating the birth of Lyra - a tiny Philippine spotted deer.
Only 700 remain in the wild ❌ so here’s how we're helping to prevent their extinction with conservation friends at the @Talarak_TFI 🎥
Full story ⬇️https://t.co/5SY3S26iMY pic.twitter.com/wbeKqiJv90
Zookeeper, Emma Evison, said: "Every Philippine spotted deer birth is absolutely crucial to the long term survival of this species, so we were absolutely overjoyed to see a fluffy bundle alongside mum Nova one morning.
"The female calf, who we’ve named Lyra, is our new little star!"
It is estimated that as few as 700 Philippine spotted deer, or Visayan spotted deer as they are also known, now remain in the wild.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has placed the species on the endangered list.
The animals have already become regionally extinct on several Philippine islands due to intensive hunting, deforestation and forest clearance. Sadly, they can only now be found on the islands of Panay and Negros.
The zoo say that they are educating and empowering local communities in the deer's homeland in order to protect the remaining population.
In 2020 the zoo and their partners in the Philippines were able to reintroduce 28 Philippine spotted deer back into the wild into a protected nature reserve.
Stuart Young, Regional Field Programme Manager for South East Asian Islands at the zoo, said: "For more than two decades we have worked closely with our partners in the Philippines, helping to protect this charismatic species from extinction.
"This began by funding and helping to build vital conservation breeding centers on the islands of Panay and Negros, while providing caregivers with all of the important information that our experts here at the zoo have gathered by successfully breeding this highly endangered species.
"Over the years the breeding centres, such as the Talarak Foundation, have become hubs for training, research and education and have actively increased the population of the Philippine spotted deer, reintroducing 28 of the animals to their former stronghold in 2020 – and we’re very pleased to report that the group is now thriving in their new home.
"This is the first time a reintroduction of this scale has been attempted in the region and is a landmark moment for the future of the species, thanks to a worldwide collaboration of conservationists."
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