Dotty the Dik-Dik: A Tiny Debut at Chester Zoo

0:00On April 8th, a tiny Kirk's dick-dick fawn named Dottie just made her debut at Chester Zoo, one of the world's smallest antelopes, born weighing only a few hundred grams back in mid-February, she'll top out at just 40 centimeters tall when fully grown. These little ones hail from scrublands and mountains in Kenya, Tanzania, and Namibia, where they dart around making a sharp, dick-dick alarm call to warn, off-threats. Zookeepers note their shy nature, so Dottie stayed tucked in a cozy den for her first weeks, with mom Chrissy checking in to nurse her. Now she's wobbling on those first outdoor steps. In a sweet turn, Dottie's biological dad passed from old days before her birth, so a new male named Dan from another zoo stepped up as surrogate dad. Bonding with mom and baby as part of a conservation breeding program, it's heartening to watch this trail thrive, boosting efforts to protect these pint-sized wonders in the wild.