Keepers are celebrating the most successful year yet for baby reindeer at DZG with seven new arrivals in three weeks.
Curator Matt Lewis, said: “We are delighted to have so many births this year.
“All our mums are coping really well and the babies are all strong and healthy.
“This is also a significant year as it is the first year we have not had to intervene and give a helping hand to any of the newborn calves, so we are incredibly proud of that achievement.
“It is also the first time one of our mums – six-year-old Maggie – has reared her own offspring straight away, which is fantastic to see.”
The calves are proving to be extremely popular with visitors; particularly as they all have different fur colourings, with two dark brown babies, three fawn coloured and two white.
Dad to all the new arrivals is five-year-old Boy, who transferred to DZG a year ago from Dartmoor Zoological Park in Devon.
Visitors will soon also be able to get an even closer look at the herd thanks to a new outdoor shelter.
The wooden hut, which has been designed and being built in-house, will provide a shady spot for the reindeer to gather while out in in the paddock and includes a large window to enable visitors to view them inside.
AND THERE’S MORE . . .
Reindeer are not the only new arrivals at DZG . . . in recent weeks we’ve also welcomed six Barbary sheep, four capybara, two guinea pigs, four chicks and a black howler monkey.
