Warsaw, December 1: A zoo in Poland says it's the first to capture on video the birth of a rare Philippine mouse-deer and everyone's hoping it's a male so it can help the endangered species breed.

The night birth on Nov. 10 at 2:24 a.m. at the Zoo in Wroclaw was filmed by a camera in the stall. It has given experts some knowledge on the mouse-deer's birth process and the first actions of a newborn, including that it begins to nurse quite quickly. Also Read | COVID-19 Vaccine Update: Phase 2 And 3 Clinical Trials For Russia’s Coronavirus Vaccine Sputnik V Begin in India.

Watch: Mouse-Deer Gives Birth

“It is a conservation milestone for this species,” the head of the Wroclaw Zoo, Radoslaw Ratajszczak was quoted as saying in a statement Tuesday. Also Read | United Nations Says Food Has Run Out for Nearly 100,000 Refugees in Ethiopia.

The naturally reclusive new mouse-deer is hiding from view and experts have not been able yet to determine its sex. They are hoping it's male, because among the 12 mouse-deer living in Europe's zoos there is only one confirmed male, named Johnny English, in Wroclaw.

There are females in zoos in Chester, England, and in Rotterdam, in The Netherlands. That makes breeding difficult, given that the animals are very sensitive and experts are reluctant to make them travel.

The little-known Philippine mouse-deer is endemic only for the Filipino islands of Balabac, Bugsuc and Ramos. Their population is shrinking as they lose habitat to palm oil plantations, the Wroclaw Zoo said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)