With shaking legs, this is the moment that a baby Java mouse deer takes its first tentative steps into the world.

The creature, which, as the name suggests, looks like a cross between a mouse and Bambi, was born just weeks earlier at a Dutch zoo.

The unsteady newborn is currently about the size of a hamster.

After getting to his feet the baby Java mouse follows his mother’s lead through their enclosure

 

It will grow to a maximum weight of only about 5 pounds (2.5 kg) in adulthood, and its legs will be no bigger than the circumference of a pencil.

Like most newborn, it was keen to stay as close to its mother’s side and these pictures show just how fragile its tiny legs are.

The extremely shy mother and fawn were captured on camera among the leaves at the Natura Artis Magistra Zoo.

Despite being timid, they are said to be a fiercely intelligent and are found in the wild in parts of Thailand, Borneo and Sumatra.

With his legs shaking, this is the moment that a baby Java mouse deer takes his first very tentative steps

 

The shy creature huddles up beneath a fallen tree branch after taking a rare break away from its mother’s side