An extremely rare and tiny deer fawn has made its first public appearance at Bristol Zoo Project, to the delight of staff and visitors!

The male Philippine spotted deer, which keepers say is healthy and feeding well, has been born to first-time parents Eugene and Pandora.

The new arrival, which is yet to be named, is just 30cm tall – the same height as a cereal box or a piece of A4 paper!

There are thought to be fewer than 700 Philippine spotted deer left in the wild. Parents Pandora and Eugene 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, and it was hoped they would successfully breed, helping to safeguard the future of the species.

Will Walker, Curator of Mammals at Bristol Zoo Project, said: “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.

“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.

“With so few of these deer left in the wild, we hope our visitors who come to see the fawn will be inspired to join us on our journey to Save Wildlife Together.”

We're also asking for the public’s help in naming the fawn, which is just over a week old. Our team has come up with a shortlist of three names, which all reflect Bristol Zoological Society’s charitable conservation work in the Philippines.

The names are:

• Laserna - the name of a community that we work 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.

NOTE: This poll has now closed, with 'Maliit' being chosen as the winner! Thank you to all those who voted.