:quality(80))
Philippine spotted deer
Our Philippine spotted deer can be found in the very heart of the zoo, opposite our yellow mongoose exhibit. We’re home to a family of three, including mum Belle, dad Neil and their daughter Willow.
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Artiodactyla
Family:
Cervidae
About the Philippine spotted deer
Philippine spotted deer live in the rainforests of the Visayan Islands of Panay and Negros in the Philippines. Due to their habitat, their herbivore diet consists of grasses, leaves and buds that can be found in abundance in these lush forests.
Conservation
Philippine spotted deer are likely the most endangered deer in the world due to the increasing pressures of both habitat destruction and illegal hunting.
Despite receiving legal protection against poaching in 1991, species numbers have continued to decline as anti-poaching laws remain difficult to enforce. While their future in the wild looks uncertain, European zoos have been working on captive breeding programmes for the species for a number of years, and Newquay Zoo has successfully contributed to EAZA’s ex-situ breeding programme, with a total of 10 Philippine spotted deer born here at the zoo in the last 12 years.