Conservationists at Chester Zoo have reason to rejoice. A baby African antelope named Dotty was recently born at the Cheshire attraction to mum, Chrissy.
Weighing only a few hundred grams, the miniscule fawn’s size has drawn comparisons with a baked beans tin. Even when fully grown, Dotty will only stand forty centimetres tall, making her and her species, Kirk’s dik-dik, among the smallest antelopes in the world
Sadly, Dotty’s biological father died of old age before she was born, but a new male dik-dik arrival at the zoo from Cumbria, called Dan, has stepped in to fill the parental role.
Assistant Team Manager for small mammals at Chester Zoo, Megan Carpenter, commented that the tiny antelope species were naturally shy. As a result, the first weeks following the fawn’s birth saw her kept cosy and calm in the den with intermittent checks and feeds from mum.
Now however, Dotty is finding her feet and has already embarked on some wobbly first steps. Nature-loving visitors to Chester will be able to see the tiny antelope spending time in her newly formed family group while enjoying outdoor adventures in her enclosure. Dik-dik activities include scenting with glands based below their eyes, and pulling leaves from branches to eat using their flexible snouts.
In the wild, Kirk’s dik-dik are found in the mountainous areas and bushlands of Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya and Africa. Their name derives from the high-pitched alarm they emit when startled before heading for cover, that sounds like “dik-dik”.