Rare animal on the brink of extinction is born in UK zoo – but do YOU know what it is?

AN EXTREMELY rare animal has been born at a popular UK zoo as a deadly disease pushes the species towards extinction. It was the size of a ‘grapefruit with legs’ when born, weighing just a few hundred grams. Rana has been hailed a ‘lifeline’ for babirusa, or ‘pig-deer’ Credit: Chseter Zoo / SWNS She is the fifth piglet born to mother Matano, an 11-year-old babirusa Credit: Chester Zoo / SWNS Rana is a babirusa – an unusual species of pig so rare it is only found on four islands in Indonesia. Tiny Rana was born at Chester Zoo just as a deadly disease threatens to wipe out the species. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Bosses at the zoo said the rare ‘pig-deer’ animals are being wiped out due to African swine fever reaching the Indonesian islands five years ago. Hannah Owens, assistant team manager at the zoo, said while pig-deers are doing well in captivity, they are “really struggling” in the wild. “The numbers are radically reducing, and it would be horrendous if they disappeared,” she said. The species was previously classed as Vulnerable but is set to be moved to Critically Endangered following a dramatic decline in numbers. Hannah added that piglets like Rana were a “lifeline for the species.” “Rana had ginger fuzz when she was born, but that’s gone now,” she added. Most read in The Sun The animals are known as pig-deers because of their distinctive appearance. The males feature unusual upper tusks which grow through their snout and curve backwards towards their face. Rana is the fifth piglet born to mother Matano, an 11-year-old babirusa, who was also born at Chester Zoo. Comment now