Paignton Zoo welcomes adorable new arrival

By Julian Barnes
Published 19th Jan 2024, 19:01 BST
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The Bambi-like creature only weighs about 5kg

Paignton Zoo welcomed in the New Year with the birth of one of the cutest animals in the animal kingdom. 

The arrival of a new Kirk's dik-dik, a small antelope species indigenous to the shrublands and savannahs of northeast Africa, marks the fourth offspring for Derek and Éclair. Chloe, their third calf, was born on July 6th of the previous year and also resides in the same enclosure.placeholder image
The arrival of a new Kirk's dik-dik, a small antelope species indigenous to the shrublands and savannahs of northeast Africa, marks the fourth offspring for Derek and Éclair. Chloe, their third calf, was born on July 6th of the previous year and also resides in the same enclosure.

A fully grown Kirk’s dik-dik stands at only about 40cm tall and weighs around 5kg, meaning they are about the same size as a large house cat. This, paired with their distinctive scent gland under each eye, gives them an adorable, Bambi-like appearance.

Keepers at Paignton Zoo have been particularly enamoured by the new arrival. Owen Taylor, Curator of Mammals, said: “We  were delighted to find that she had given birth on New Year’s Day, it’s such a fantastic way to start the New Year. This is the second dik-dik calf born here in the last 12 months, so this shows how successful zoo-based breeding programmes can be.”

The zoo’s family of Kirk’s dik-dik are part of a European breeding programme, which aims to ensure that the captive population in European zoos remains fit and healthy. Thankfully, Kirk’s dik-dik are not considered threatened at the moment, but in a rapidly changing world this situation could easily change.placeholder image
The zoo’s family of Kirk’s dik-dik are part of a European breeding programme, which aims to ensure that the captive population in European zoos remains fit and healthy. Thankfully, Kirk’s dik-dik are not considered threatened at the moment, but in a rapidly changing world this situation could easily change.

Owen added: “Derek and Éclair have already proven that they are great parents, and big sister Chloe is also bonding very quickly with her new sibling. We can’t wait for our visitors to see how sweet they all are together.”

The zoo will be re-opening after a two week maintenance closure period on Saturday 20 January.

Related topics:Paignton Zoo
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