SANTIAGO (Reuters) -Standing no taller than a house cat, the pudu – the world’s smallest deer – is inching closer to endangered status on Chile’s southern Chiloe archipelago, threatened by a rising toll of car collisions and dog attacks, according to veterinarians and conservationists.
Chiloe lies just off the coast of southern Chile and is home to dense forests, small rural communities, and a fragile population of pudus that conservationists say is rapidly shrinking.
Dozens of pudus have been reported killed or injured on Chiloe’s main island this year. The Chiloe Silvestre wildlife center has treated 18, with half injured by dogs and a third hit by vehicles, according to head veterinarian Javiera Lopez.
“Around 50 pudus arrive injured each year, which is a high number for such a vulnerable species,” Lopez said.
“It’s only a matter of time before they’re reclassified as ‘endangered’ and eventually ‘critically endangered’.”
Javier Cabello, veterinarian and founder of the Chiloe Silvestre NGO, said the pudu’s tiny size makes it especially vulnerable.
“They’re only 45 centimeters (18 inches) tall – compare that to an elk or deer, which can grow to over two meters,” Cabello said.
With their wide eyes, delicate legs, and timid nature, pudus are no match for speeding cars or aggressive dogs. Pregnant females are particularly at risk in winter and spring.
According to a government conservation report, there’s no official count of the southern pudu, which is found in the wild in Chile and Argentina. The total population is estimated to be around 10,000, with a large number living on Chiloe Island.
Natalia Duran, from the animal health unit at Chile’s National Zoo, said the island’s pudu population was declining, although the population on the mainland remained stable.
“That’s why, as a zoo, our educational role and our role in teaching people can still contribute to protecting the remaining population of this very charismatic little deer,” she said.
Proposals that have been put forward to help the pudus include road signs, speed bumps, and a new ‘Pudu Law’ to curb free-roaming dogs in rural areas.
(Reporting by Nicolas Cortes and Carolina Fernandez; Writing by Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Alexander Villegas and Rosalba O’Brien)
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