The pudu fawn was just six inches tall.

A tiny deer, measuring six inches tall and weighing 900 grams, has been born at Chester Zoo.

The fawn, named Paolo by the keepers, was born to parents Serena and Oden as part of an international conservation breeding programme to protect southern pudus.

The southern pudu is one of the world’s smallest species of deer, and Paolo will only grow to 18 inches in height when he is fully grown. His antlers will grow to four inches long.

The species is native to a rainforest habitat in southern Chile and south-western Argentina, where they are considered a near-threatened species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and so face an unstable future.

Conservationists believe the pudu population has been declining rapidly in recent years, due to illegal poaching and the loss of its rainforest habitat.

Paolo’s birth will play a part in Chester Zoo’s pudu conservation breeding programme, which aims to help the long term protection of the species and raise awareness of its struggles.

Chester Zoo is a not-for-profit conservation and education charity which works with more than 3,000 species globally, including 140 international breeding programmes.

Caroline Wright, a pudu keeper at the zoo, said: “Pudus are the smallest deer in the world – and so you can just imagine how tiny a new born is. In fact, being similar in size to a guinea pig, Paolo makes even Bambi look huge!

“But while they may only be tiny and have little legs, they are excellent sprinters. And what they lack in size they make up for in strategy – running in zigzag patterns to help them fend off the interest of less nimble predators.

“Pudu fawns have distinctive flecks of white fur on their backs to help with their camouflage. These fade as they get older but Paolo, at the young age he is, is very much sporting these for the time being.

“We’re ever so pleased with his development so far and hopefully he’ll not only help us to put a spotlight on these wonderful animals, but also go on to play his own part in the conservation breeding programme to protect the species.”

Image (C) Chester Zoo