The Zoological Center Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan welcomed two fennec fox kits after a fifteen-year wait for a birth of the species. Fennec fox couple Penny and Louis de Fennec, both four years old, spent the 50-day gestation period of their offspring burrowing tunnels in their enclosure. The tunnels were an addition to their home to accomodate the new kits.
Mother Penny was aggressive during the gestation and after the birth of her kits, an instinctive measure of protection. Penny hid her babies in the newly dug burrows soon after they were born. Their keepers kept their enclosure private at that time, in order for the mama and papa to have bonding time with their kits. Currently, keepers are slowly introducing them to their loving public.
Fennec foxes are native to the Sahara in Northern Africa as well as Northern Saudi Arabia. Their large ears not only cool the fox by losing excess heat, but they also enable them to hear predators from a great distance. The fennec fox is a nocturnal animal, escaping the heat during the day as it rests in its burrow. The life span of the species is approximately ten years. Via Zooborns.
Images Credit: Zoological Center Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan