Sweet potato-loving Western tufted deer joins Minnesota Zoo

Yahoo

07-05-2025

A Western tufted deer known as Sir Douglas will be among the inhabitants of the Minnesota Zoo's new Red Panda Forest, which opens this summer.
According to the zoo, Sir Douglas is currently settling in behind the scenes after his move from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in Ohio.
"He's made it clear his favorite food is as sweet as he is: sweet potato," the zoo shared.
Douglas is known to express his curiosity with a "click" sound, but Western tufted deer can also bark, whistle and whine, according to the zoo. Soon, he'll be joined by a female deer.
A young Sir Douglas. Photo courtesy of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
Douglas is still growing and his adult tusks will be about one-inch long, according to the Zoo.
Here's a new glamour shot of Douglas taken on Monday, which the Minnesota Zoo provided to Bring Me The News.
Sir Douglas on May 5, 2025. Photo courtesy of Minnesota Zoo.
Red Panda Forest
Western tufted deer, which are primarily found in China's forested mountainsides, are one of three species that'll reside in the zoo's Red Panda Forest - a new, wooded outdoor habitat on the Northern Trail.
"In the shadow of the eastern Himalayas, these three animals depend on the unique mix of bamboo forests, mountainsides, wetlands, and river valleys," the zoo's website reads.
Sir Douglas and his female companion will be joined in the habitat by red pandas and one of the world's rarest crane species, red-crowned cranes.
Two red-crowned cranes, a bonded pair of young sisters, have arrived at the Minnesota Zoo from the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington D.C.
Native to eastern Russia, China, Mongolia and Japan, the distinctive cranes are endangered due to the wetland habitat loss caused by development.