The little orphan, delivered by Caesarean section, was just six inches tall and, at 500 grams, weighed little more than a bag of sugar.
It looked like he, too, would face a tough fight for survival.
But staff at Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Buckinghamshire believe Rupert, as he has been named, will make a full recovery after his dramatic arrival.
At five days old, he is being kept in an incubator and has just opened his eyes.
Les Stocker, founder of Tiggywinkles, said: 'Rupert's mother had very severe injuries. We brought him out and got him breathing and then he went into an incubator on oxygen. He is now being fed by a tube.'
'Deer are very, very tricky but this one has spirit. He's an extremely feisty little guy and quite pushy,' he added.
Muntjac are the oldest known deer, appearing 15-35 million years ago, with remains found in Miocene deposits in France and Germany.
The present-day species are native to south-east Asia and can be found from India and Sri Lanka to southern China, Taiwan, Japan and Indonesian islands.
Reeves's Muntjac has been introduced to England and is now common in some areas there.
Inhabiting tropical regions, the deer have no seasonal rut and mating can take place at any time of year.
However, this behaviour is retained by populations introduced to temperate countries.
Males have short antlers, which can regrow but they tend to fight for territory with their tusks.

No comments:
Post a Comment