WEST Midland Safari Park have welcomed two newborn baby deer which are classed as extinct in the wild.
The first Père David fawn, a female, was born at the Bewdley attraction on Thursday (April 14), followed by another on Monday (April 18).
The species are classed as ‘extinct in the wild’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is mostly found in captivity.
Shelley Tudor, deputy head of Asian Ungulates, said: "These births are great news.
"Usually we have just one Père David's fawn a year, so to have two this year already is fantastic.
"The herd stay closely together throughout the day and the babies have already been seen playing and resting together on the Asian Lowlands.
"Père David's deer are a captive breeding success story, thanks to safari parks and zoos.
"They are classed as 'extinct in the wild' and if it was not for captive breeding programmes, they would be extinct entirely."
The unusual deer are called ‘sze pu shiang’ in their native China, which translates as ‘none of the four’. This refers to the deer’s appearance, as it looks like it has the antlers of a deer, camel’s neck, hooves of a cow and a donkey-like tail.
The unnamed youngsters follows the birth of a baby rhinoceros on Good Friday – the first new rhino arrival at the Park in more than a decade.
Six-year-old Ailsa gave birth to the male southern white rhino calf, named Ekozu by keepers, following a lengthy 16-month pregnancy.
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