At Terra Natura Benidorm we have welcomed the birth of three chitals (Axis axis), two males and one female, as confirmed by our veterinary team after carrying out a veterinary exam on the little babies. With these latest births, the group of this species exceeds more than 30 specimens.

The chital babies have weighed approximately 2.5 kilos and have measured about 30 centimetres. Chital populations in the wild are in a good state of conservation. At birth, the mothers usually leave the babies in areas of the prairie where they can be quiet and hidden and they go back to the babies to feed them.

These chitals were born a week apart. When they get stronger, they will start to follow their mother through the meadow and feed on demand, this way they will start their integration into the general herd. The review carried out by the veterinaries consisted in checking the state of the navel to see if it had healed well and deworming the specimens. Likewise, they have been injected with a vitamin complex and they have been identified with an ear tag, according to the Administration.

Unlike the European deer, which reproduces in autumn, in chitals, their heat is not seasonally defined as they reproduce throughout the year. This reproductive characteristic is beneficial to keep population levels. However, when they are born in very cold places, this allow them to develop exceptional resistance to these weather conditions.
The speckled brownish fur that chitals have helps them to hide when they enter through thick vegetation. This camouflage, similar to moles, resembles the shadow that the sun would project when it sneaks through the leaves of the trees, which makes them go unnoticed.