Rare deer fawn thrown to the dogs

KNOWSLEY, England, April 27 (UPI) -- A rare breed deer fawn, abandoned by its mother at a British safari park, is now being cared for by dogs, the BBC reported Wednesday.

Twin Pere David deer fawns were born at Knowsley Safari Park. However, one fawn, named Mi-Lu, was rejected by its mother and adopted by the park curator's dogs: a Lurcher named Geoffrey and a Golden Retriever name Kipper. The unlikely family sleeps together, plays together, and takes daily walks around the grounds, The Scotsman reported.

Park staff said the mother may have rejected Mi-Lu because she was only expecting one fawn.

"It really was touch and go for 48 hours or so," said Penny Boyd, park photographer and partner of curator Nick Ellerton.

"Fortunately, he's come on in leaps and bounds over the last few days with the help of our dogs and he's now settling in well with his foster family, although our ultimate aim will be to return him to the herd when he's ready."

The Pere David Deer, originally from China, have recently been reintroduced to the wild, but are still considered "critically endangered."