Double first for Twycross (From Worcester News)

Double first for Twycross

12:09pm Monday 3rd August 2009 in News

Twycross Zoo is the only collection in the UK to exhibit and now breed the rare Tufted deer. The small male fawn was born on 16th June 09 and weighed 1.5 kg at birth which is smaller than a bag of sugar. Mother “Michelle” and father “Mitch” have been exceptional at rearing their first offspring. Our keepers have named the baby Ying Xiong (pronounced Ying Yong) which means hero in Chinese as this species originates from China. The fawn is suckling from Michelle on demand and butts the teat in the same way a lamb does to stimulate the milk flow.

The tufted deer is a crepuscular animal, most active at dawn and dusk. Tufted deer are territorial, and rarely leave their home range, which is criss-crossed by a network of trails. Both sexes bark when alarmed, but due to their colouration (typically dark brown, but white on the belly) they are very difficult to spot. Barking is also used in the breeding season for locating and communicating with partners. The deer has small antlers and like the related species the munkjack the males have short tusks. The most prominent feature is a tuft of black hair over the forehead. The tufted deer has a white tail and they will use it to signal.

Another success for Twycross Zoo’s primate breeding programme was accomplished when the very first baby Titi monkey was born on 23rd June 09. The adorable, tiny, silvery grey baby can be seen clinging onto his father Richard’s back who is three years old. Both parents normally look after the baby but in this family group Richard has taken on the parental role for majority of the time and the baby seems to only want mom “Anya” for feeding. The baby will become a large part of the rearing of the next offspring which will then help him in the future with his own young.

Red titi monkeys have strong forelimbs, which they use to move amongst trees and branches. Their tales, which are not capable of grasping, have the primary function of stabilization. Titi monkeys are monogamous and live together as pairs. Bonded pairs spend a lot of their time grooming each other or they sit huddled together, with their tails intertwined.