SANTIAGO (Reuters) -Standing no taller than a house cat, the pudu – the world’s smallest deer – is inching closer to endangered status on Chile’s southern Chiloe archipelago, threatened by a rising toll of car collisions and dog attacks, according to veterinarians and conservationists.

Chiloe lies just off the coast of southern Chile and is home to dense forests, small rural communities, and a fragile population of pudus that conservationists say is rapidly shrinking.

Dozens of pudus have been reported killed or injured on Chiloe’s main island this year. The Chiloe Silvestre wildlife center has treated 18, with half injured by dogs and a third hit by vehicles, according to head veterinarian Javiera Lopez.

“Around 50 pudus arrive injured each year, which is a high number for such a vulne

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