‘Surprise, surprise!’ Exotic kittens bring double the cuteness to NC zoo, photos show
“Surprise, surprise!”
Two exotic kittens brought double the cuteness as they made history at a North Carolina zoo, photos posted to Facebook show.
The Greensboro Science Center said it welcomed the little ones — a boy and a girl — March 20. The kittens are servals, a spotted cat native to parts of central and southern Africa.
After the furry siblings spent a precious week of bonding with their mom, the zoo said it gave them their first veterinary exam. Video from the check-up shows each of the babies was slightly bigger than a human hand.
“It’s really just our first glimpse of these guys,” Dr. Taylor Gregory, vice president of animal health care, said in a video shared April 6 on social media. “They’ll get more exams as they get older.”
The kittens’ arrival marked the first time their mom, Kira, gave birth. Low reproduction rates among servals have been reported at facilities in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums network, so Kira “could represent new genetics for this population,” the science center wrote in a news release.
“She’s been really, really great as a mother so far,” Gregory said.
The kittens also made history as the first servals born at the science center. The zoo reports the mom and her babies are healthy and will continue to bond behind the scenes.
The newborns don’t have names yet, but there’s still a chance to weigh in. The zoo is allowing visitors to vote for their favorite names online through 11:59 p.m. April 9, and the winners will be announced the following day.
Servals are smaller cats that can grow to 40 pounds. Litters consist of one to five kittens that each weigh 8 to 9 ounces at birth, according to the San Diego Zoo website.
“Servals have the longest legs and largest ears for its body size of any cat,” the Greensboro Science Center wrote. “Servals are considered carnivores and while their main diet consists of rodents, they can jump more than nine feet straight up to grab a bird right out of the air.”
This story was originally published April 9, 2024 at 2:29 PM with the headline "‘Surprise, surprise!’ Exotic kittens bring double the cuteness to NC zoo, photos show."
