NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – With Mother's Day coming up this weekend, the Nashville Zoo is celebrating its first birth of a southern pudu, the world's smallest deer species.

The male fawn was born on April 28 to first-time parents, Bosa and Pacu. According to officials, he weighs 1.7 pounds, "about the size of a small bag of sugar, making it the sweetest gift for Nashville Zoo this Mother’s Day."

The zoo said southern pudus are on an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) provisional Species Survival Plan (SSP), which means every animal is crucial to the North American population. The couple was introduced as a breeding pair in 2024 to help bolster the population of southern pudus at AZA accredited facilities.

Historically, officials said this species has been difficult to breed successfully, so the addition of this fawn marks a major win for conservation.  

"As a first-time mom, Bosa is doing a great job taking care of the fawn," said Nashville Zoo Veterinarian Dr. Louden Wright. "We see a lot of animals struggle with their first offspring, but Bosa is taking to it naturally. Both her and the fawn are thriving!"

According to the zoo, the fawn will stay with his mother for at least the next year, but when he starts to near sexual maturity, he'll be placed at another AZA facility and paired for breeding to help maintain the North American population.

Nashville Zoo visitors can see the new fawn on habitat near the entrance of the Andean bear exhibit every day.

Southern Pudu (Pudu puda) are the smallest species of deer in the world and are native to southern Chile and southwestern Argentina. The Southern pudu eats a variety of vegetation, including leaves from shrubs and small trees, fruits, vegetables, bark, bamboo, ferns, vines, grass, flowers, nuts, fungi, and succulent sprouts. Vital to their habitat, Southern pudus make up 50% of Chilean pumas' diets. Additionally, Southern pudus can modify the abundance, composition, and growth of plants in their habitat, and aid in seed dispersal. Protecting this species ensures their natural habitat remains a functional ecosystem. 

According to the IUCN Red List, Southern pudus are listed as near threatened with its population decreasing. The main conservation threats to pudus, particularly the southern pudu, are habitat loss due to deforestation and fragmentation, predation by domestic dogs, and poaching. Other threats include competition with introduced species like red deer and wild boar, and potential disease transmission from domestic animals.  

Nashville Zoo

Officials said the southern pudu's birth was part of a continuing "baby boom." Since the fall, the zoo has welcomed two Komodo dragons hatchlings; a clouded leopard cub, even though she died a month later; and a red river hog piglet.

To learn more about the Nashville Zoo’s conservation efforts, follow this link.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/nashville-zoo/baby-boom-continues-at-nashville-zoo-with-birth-of-southern-pudu/