MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Zoo is welcoming a new addition to its clan – a Pere David fawn!
The Zoo says the fawn’s birth is important because this species of deer is extinct in the wild.
Parents are first-time mom Piper and dad Freddie, and the female fawn was born April 2nd. So her name is April!
She is being raised by hand a bottle fed for the first few months by deer staff.
You can check out April and the rest of the herd in the CHINA exhibit at the zoo.
About Pere David's Deer
Pere David's deer was almost driven to extinction, and now only survives in zoos and nature reserves. The deer are named after French missionary Father Armand David. Pere means father in French. In 1865, David found the last herd of these deer in a Chinese park. He was able to send several deer to European zoos. Flooding destroyed the remainder of the Chinese herd, but the European deer survived and flourished. In 1985, the species was reintroduced back to China. The Chinese refer to this deer as ‘sze pu shiang’ which means 'none of the four.' This name refers to the deer’s unique appearance as it looks like it has the neck of a camel, the hooves of a cow, the tail of a donkey, and the antlers of a deer. Their branched antlers are also unique in that the long tines point backward.
(This story was written in collaboration with the Memphis Zoo.)
