The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Highland Wildlife Park is celebrating the birth of an "adorable" vicuna cria (baby vicuna).
The baby vicuna is the first one ever to be born at the park, which is located near Kingussie.
Born to parents Coco and Austria on Wednesday, October 23, keepers at the wildlife conservation charity say the female youngster is doing well and will be named soon.
Visitors will be able to spot her exploring the drive-through reserve with mum close by.
A small herd of five vicuna live at the park – Juanita, Ozzy, Austria, Coco and their new baby. They are camelid species native to the Andes of South America and can be found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru.
Run by the RZSS the Highland Wildlife Park recently unveiled the new, £6.5 million Scotland’s Wildlife Discovery Centre.
Spanning three new buildings, the ambitious community outreach programme also features a biodiversity action plan, designed to help protect native species.
The centre's three purpose-built 'hubs' have been constructed with timber and materials designed to meld with the surrounding park landscape.
A' Chaonnag, the Learning Hive, is a hive of learning, activity and collaboration, which enables visitors to explore and connect with wildlife, nature and conservation. An Doras, the Gateway, draws on the idea of openings in nature, like forest clearings, and is designed with no linear path, challenging people to explore. An Saobhaidh, the Conservation Den, invites people to learn about the challenges facing the natural world and offers 360 degree views of the Cairngorms' landscape.
Believed to be ancestors of the alpaca, the vicuna is the national animal of Peru and features on the country's coat of arms and national flag. Listed as an endangered species, global numbers dipped to a low of 6000 in 1974 but today are believed to be around 350,000.
Based in Kincraig, seven miles south of Aviemore, Highland Wildlife Park provides a home to rare animals of the world's mountains and tundra regions, such as Amur tigers, snow monkeys, red pandas, Bactrian camels and polar bears.
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