Tiny South American Deer Debuts at Queens Zoo

A diminutive South American deer, known as a southern pudu, is one of the newest residents at New York City's Queens Zoo. Born on June 21 and weighing a mere 2 pounds at birth, the fawn is expected to grow to between 15 and 20 pounds. The Wildlife Conservation Society, which oversees the city's zoos, announced the birth on Thursday.

The southern pudu, hailing from Chile and Argentina, is recognized as one of the smallest deer species globally and is listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Its population is in decline due to factors such as development and the intrusion of non-native species. The Queens Zoo is involved in a breeding program with other zoos to maintain genetically rich populations and has welcomed eight pudu fawns since 2005. This latest addition will share its enclosure with its parents and will join two other pudus at the society's Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)