TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

The size of a matchbox, a rare mouse deer is born on camera in Poland

  (Reuters)
Warsaw, Poland
Wed, December 2, 2020

Share This Article

Change Size

The size of a matchbox, a rare mouse deer is born on camera in Poland Philippine mouse-deer, born at Zoo Wroclaw, Poland on November 10, 2020 is seen in this undated photo. (Handout via REUTERS/Wroclaw Zoo)

A

zoo in Wroclaw, Poland has captured the birth of a tiny mouse deer on camera for the first time ever, in a hopeful moment for the highly endangered species originating from the Philippines.

The baby chevrotain, born on Nov. 10, is the size of a large matchbox and weighs around 100 grams.

The species is characterized by its small stature, spindly legs and mouse-like head, and the birth is of particular significance because there are only a dozen chevrotains in European zoos and just one male.

"For the first time ever in the history of any species of mouse deer, an actual birth was filmed and then the first moment of life of the baby," Radoslaw Ratajszczak, the head of Zoo Wroclow, told Reuters.

Read also: Long 'lost' elephant shrew found in Horn of Africa

Chevrotains are facing extinction due to hunting and to palm oil plantations in their native home.

"They are very prone to predators...they are quite easy to catch," Ratajszczak said. "And they are of course, like rabbits, very tasty, unfortunately."

Chevrotains are also very difficult to study, preferring to hide in grass and, especially when giving birth, in secluded places far from human eyes.

It is still unclear what sex the baby is, with conservationists hoping for a male to help the reproduction process.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.