Frolicking Fennec Foxes

The two Fennec Fox kits have had their first experience of running on sand.

The little ones, who are yet to be named but are both girls, are thriving, weighing 600 grams each. Now 12 weeks old, the keepers are putting together plans for the slow process of integrating them back with their parents, Zuri and Enzi once the kits are fully covered by the inoculations; they had their second ones on Thursday (11 July).

The duo are spending time in a room which is close to their parents’ enclosure, before the keepers separate the main enclosure so the kits and parents can get to know each other’s scents. Safely supervised by keepers, the aim will be to remove the screen for short periods of time before they hopefully become a family unit of four.

Samantha Peeke, one of the three keepers who have given the kits round-the-clock care since they were born, said: “Reaching 12 weeks is a big milestone as they are fully weaned now and are having their final inoculations. There were times trying to feed them at four in the morning when I didn’t think I’d see this point; it’s amazing. The kits are also showing innate behaviours such as trying to dig, and they will pick up more when they see how mum and dad behave in the weeks ahead.”