Chester Zoo recently had cause to celebrate. Keepers rejoiced as the conservation charity marked a major milestone, welcoming the UK’s first ever fossa pups into the world.
Born to parents Zaza and Shala, the four rare pups are also one of just three litters to arrive in European zoos this year. The fossa is a slender, feline-looking mammal and Madagascar’s largest natural predator. Despite its status in the food chain, fossae are highly threatened, with fewer than 2,500 remaining living in the wild, mainly due to human activities like mass deforestation.
Commenting on the zoo’s efforts, Head of Mammals at Chester, Mark Brayshaw, said:
“Here at Chester Zoo, our conservationists have been working alongside partners in Madagascar for more than 15 years to protect habitats and restore forests.”
Carnivore experts at Chester have sexed the pups and identified that two are males and two females, providing new hope for the international breeding programme working to ensure the species’ survival.
The recent litter comes after Zaza, a seven-year-old male previously living in San Diego Zoo in the US, arrived in Chester in spring after being identified as an ideal genetic mate for new mum, Shala.
While new-born fossa pups are blind and have a similar weight to a new apple, the pups have grown and now ventured beyond the den. The zoo has shared footage of the four siblings exploring their intricate enclosure, which has been specially designed to authentically recreate their natural habitat in the forests of Madagascar.
Open every day of the week, Chester Zoo is just a short distance from the city centre.