Tiny deer standing 6 inches tall born at England zoo

CHESTER, England - One of the world's tiniest deer was recently born at the Chester Zoo in England. 

Zoo officials said they welcomed Paolo, a male fawn, last week, weighing less than a bag of sugar and standing six inches tall. Paolo was born to parents Serena and Oden. 

The deer is a southern Pudu, one of the world’s smallest species of deer, according to the zoo. 

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"Being the smallest deer in the world, you can imagine how tiny a newborn is!" the zoo said in a news release.

The zoo says the deer will grow to around 18 inches when fully developed. 

Officials said the baby deer is a part of an international breeding program that works to preserve and protect the species. 

The zoo said pudus are native to rainforest areas in southern Chile and south-western Argentina. They are listed as a near-threatened species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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The pudu population in the wild has declined rapidly in recent decades due to the loss of the rainforest habitat and illegal poaching, according to the zoo. 

This story was reported from Los Angeles.