Baby Mouse-deer!

A Java mouse-deer has been born at the ‪@WarszawskieZOOofficial‬ Aviary.

Warsaw’s Java mouse-deer pair Linda and Arnold has surely given the Zoo a wonderful gift in time for the holidays: On the 2nd of December their little baby came into the world. The fawn currently measures 10cm tall and is the couple’s first baby. It’s sex remains unknown.

The lively fawn explores its enclosure with great interest, but never strays too far from mom. During the first days of life it is completely dependent on her milk. A hooved animal, it is physically quite independent – only a short while after being born the fawn was running around on its tiny legs, following its mom around its habitat. Linda is proving to be a wonderful mother, and very caring toward her baby. Arnold is also keeping a keen fatherly eye on his offspring.

Initially, Arnold was a shy male, hiding amongst the foliage and only on occasion would run through the middle of the enclosure. Linda changed everything – she arrived this July from Zoo Lodz. She represented a very different way of being, as she was calm, friendly and social. Post arrival she interacted with Arnold through smell, and the following day, they were already exploring together. Thanks to her, Arnold came out of his shell, which meant that quite often you could see two Java mouse-deer interacting within their enclosure. The animals fell in love at first sight, resulting in a beautiful fawn only 4 months (and a bit) after their first date. You can see them all in the Warsaw ZOO Aviary.

The birth of the fawn was not a surprise for the Java mouse-deer keepers, as they were expecting a successful pregnancy. They were however surprised at how quickly the pair decided to procreate. The circumstances of the birth were also interesting, as it occurred right before the eyes of two Warsaw ZOO regulars, Grzegorz and Maks, who were not expecting such an eventful visit!

Photo credit: @zoo_warszawa, Marcin Jezierski @mrcjezierski