Have you spotted our Chinese water deer fawns?

Meet Pearl, Mulan, Nanxi and Tai – thanks to our members for naming them!

The four Chinese water deer fawns moved from Whipsnade Zoo to London Zoo – look out for them when you visit this summer, you’ll find them just behind our otter habitat.

Known as 'vampire deer' due to their set of sharp ‘fangs’, the tiny Chinese water deer weighed just over 400g when they were born - the same as a can of soft drink! They were hand-reared by zookeepers at Whipsnade, and are now big enough to fend for themselves.

Chinese water deer are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of threatened species, as populations in the wild continue to decline in the face of threats including habitat loss and hunting. It’s important that we care for a strong and genetically diverse population at both our conservation zoos; if populations in China continue to decline, London and Whipsnade’s herds could be strong contenders for possible reintroduction to help protect the species.

Thanks to keeper Gemma for the video!