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‘Super rare’ endangered baby deer born at Chester Zoo pictured for the first time

"She’s full of personality and is keeping mum busy with her new found energy."

Emily Sergeant - 23rd March 2022

Chester Zoo has released the first pictures of a highly-endangered deer fawn that was born at the end of last year.

Meet Lyra.

Born at the UK’s largest charity zoo just before Christmas back in December 2021, Lyra is a Philippine spotted deer – a species which is said to have become regionally extinct on several islands in the Philippines as a result of intensive and devastating hunting and deforestation, which is estimated to have left as few as 700 remaining in the wild, according to The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Now, the deer can only be found in the wild on the islands of Panay and Negros.

The population of the Philippine spotted deer at Chester Zoo is part of an acclaimed conservation breeding programme set up at the request of the Philippine government to ensure a genetically-viable population of the deer can live in leading European zoos.

Lyra’s birth was a “significant addition” to this programme.

Despite being a few months old now, Lyra has only recently emerged outside for the first time, and Chester Zoo has made sure to capture her first outing on camera and on video to share with the eagerly-awaiting public.

Lyra has been named after a constellation of stars, and shares the theme with her parents Nova and Cosmos.

“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,” explained Emma Evison – Keeper at Chester Zoo.

“At birth, Lyra only stood at 30cm tall and weighed just 3kg, but after a few weeks on mum’s milk, she’s already shot up and has gained in strength and confidence.

“She’s full of personality and is keeping mum busy with her new found energy.”

Chester Zoo is working to protect the Philippine spotted deer in its homeland, while “educating and empowering local communities that live alongside them,” Emma explained.

Conservationists at the zoo have been supporting efforts to protect and restore the habitat in the Philippines, while also funding critical breeding centres for a number of highly endangered species – including spotted deer – for more than two decades, and back in 2020, the zoo and partners safely reintroduced a group of 28 Philippine spotted deer back to the wild into a protected nature reserve.

“We’re very pleased to report that the group is now thriving in their new home,” revealed Stuart Young, Regional Field Programme Manager for South East Asian Islands at Chester Zoo.

“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.”

Featured Image – Chester Zoo