Tiny South American deer debuts at New York City zoo

NEW YORK (AP) — A tiny South American deer that will weigh only as much as a watermelon when fully grown is making its debut at the Queens Zoo in New York City.

The southern pudu fawn weighed just 2 pounds (just under 1 kilo) when it was born June 21, the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs New York City’s zoos, said in a news release Thursday. It is expected to weigh 15 to 20 pounds (7 to 9 kilograms) in adulthood.

The southern pudu, one of the world’s smallest deer species, is listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is native to Chile and Argentina, where its population is decreasing because of factors including development and invasive species.

The Queens Zoo breeds southern pudus in collaboration with other zoos in an effort to maintain genetically diverse populations, the conservation society said. Eight pudu fawns have been born there since 2005.

The newborn fawn will share a Queens Zoo habitat with its parents. There are two more pudus at the conservation society’s Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn.