Three cheers for Volo and Rico: First fossa pups born at Abilene Zoo
The Abilene Zoo on Monday announced the first births of fossa pups here.
The pups - two males and a female - were born June 19.
A fossa is a slender, long-tailed mammal that resembles a cat. It is the largest mammalian carnivore on the island of Madagascar.
The parents are Volo, who came to Abilene when the zoo opened its Madagascar exhibit in 2021, and Rico, who arrived in 2022.
The pups are born blind and will open their eyes in two weeks. They will stay in the den for four to five weeks. Gestation is 90 days.
Fossa are solitary animals - Volo had to alert Rico that she was ready to mate - and the parents have gone back to back to their own lives. Volo is taking care of the pups on her own.
The zoo births are critical to preserving the species, zookeeper Marissa Ballard said.
“Fossas are endangered in their native home of Madagascar,” she said. “That makes this an extra exciting birth. We know that if their population declines more in the wild, we have successful breeding plans in place to replenish that wild population.”
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Three cheers for Volo and Rico: First fossa pups born at Abilene Zoo
