Jeff Moore Photo 30/09/08
Rupert is growing into quite a handful-
This tiny deer has been christened Rupert after he was delivered 3 weeks early by Caesarean section at a wildlife hospital.
His mother was hit by a car and brought to the centre last week. But staff were unable to save her and took the decision to bring out Rupert, a muntjac deer.
At six inches tall and weighing just over a 500 grams (the same as a bag of sugar), the premature baby is now in an incubator in the intensive care unit at Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Buckinghamshire. He has only recently opened his eyes.
Les Stocker, founder of Tiggywinkles, said: “Rupert’s mother had very severe injuries. We brought him out and got him breathing and then he went into an incubator on oxygen. He is now being fed by a tube.”
Staff are optimistic Rupert, now five days old, will make a full recovery. “Deer are very, very tricky but this one has spirit. He’s an extremely feisty little guy and quite pushy,” Mr Stocker said.