The Newest, Cutest Baby Animals from the World's Zoos & Aquariums

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After 63 days of gestation, a rare Sand Cat Kitten was born at Israel's Zoological Center Tel Aviv Ramat Gan – Safari. Once plentiful in numbers in the dunes of Israel, the Sand Cat has become extinct in the region. This is Safari Zoo's first successful Sand Cat birth and it is hoped this kitten will join Israel's Sand Cat Breeding Program in order to help reintroduce the species into the wild.

Three weeks ago, the kitten's mother Rotem refused to go into the night chamber at the end of the day. Keepers let her stay outside and the next night she gave birth to a tiny baby in the den in the outdoor enclosure. Keepers first saw the kitten when it poked it's tiny head and looked out from the den.

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Photo credits: Tibor Jager

Many more pics below the fold…


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49 responses to “Rare Sand Kitten Birth Gives Hope for Conservation”

  1. tardisgirl Avatar
    tardisgirl

    This is the best news I’ve heard all day! Such a lovely, beautiful creature.

  2. Beth K Avatar

    OMG sooo cute!

  3. Edward Avatar
    Edward

    I want one.

  4. Audrey Avatar
    Audrey

    I do too!!! However, I know this baby is soooooo special, and I think he is adorable! Praying he is the start of a whole new regeneration of these gorgeous cats. I commend Tel aviv Zoological Center for helping to save this species!!!!

  5. Colby Avatar
    Colby

    That is nice and all but you didn’t answer the most important question- is it on twitter yet??

  6. Erez Erlichman Avatar

    Video of the cub and the mother at the zoo (source: ynet-news animals channel)
    http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4105472,00.html
    Enjoy!

  7. Y. Avatar
    Y.

    The kitten is a female.

  8. kkarki_2000@yahoo.com Avatar
    kkarki_2000@yahoo.com

    Sooo cute! I thought my cats had the market cornered on cuteness – but this little guy is some tough competition!

  9. Cute Kitty Avatar

    So Cute! Saw these cute kitties too
    http://www.thesupercute.com/tag/kitten/

  10. MADAM Avatar
    MADAM

    Adorable!!! and the markings are beautiful!!! I love the stripes on the front legs.

  11. Natalya Avatar
    Natalya

    Good Luck kitten!

  12. M.H. Avatar
    M.H.

    Awwwwwwww! The little baby!

  13. Rivka Avatar

    maybe no one sees this cat, and it isn’t actually extinct in Israel it sure blends with the rocks!

  14. Fran Avatar
    Fran

    Aurgh!!!!! They (mum and baby) are absolutely darling!!!
    Good luck to the breeding programme!!

  15. Kevin Avatar

    Know what a sand cat looks like? A house cat. Very cute.

  16. Shawn Tymchak Avatar

    Nice to see nature continuing to survive.

  17. Marcia Avatar
    Marcia

    Wonderful! Congratulations!

  18. Leslie Stein Guttenberg Avatar

    How wonderful. He is soooo cute. Mother nature is doing her job in Israel.

  19. E. Sheppard Avatar

    What a beautiful kitten. And such lovely markings. I loved looking at all the pictures.

  20. Felicity Avatar
    Felicity

    Finally something good has come out of Israel.

  21. Tom Avatar

    beautiful like me 😀

  22. Rosedon Avatar
    Rosedon

    So Precious !!!

  23. Ariel Avatar
    Ariel

    זאת באמאת הצלחה! מזל טוב!

  24. Matt Avatar

    aaaawwwwwwwwww cute as hell. Great news for conservation and a big thumbs up to the zoo.

  25. Linda T Avatar
    Linda T

    Gorgeous kitten with a yummy mummy.
    Where’s the dad?

  26. Nola Colman Avatar
    Nola Colman

    I’m also wondering about the father. How large is the captive population? Do other zoos have Sand Cats?

  27. Catherine Avatar
    Catherine

    Good luck little one!

  28. TwoReplies Avatar
    TwoReplies

    Only if you can’t tell the difference.
    (Wider heads, larger ears, and they’re stockier.)

  29. TwoReplies Avatar
    TwoReplies

    Here’s to hoping stupid people will get over their retarded and pointless religious wars/conflicts in that region and let nature recover in the conflict-scarred areas.

  30. Zari Avatar

    Couldn’t see the ynet video (pop-up blocking the video; was in hebrew so couldn’t figure out what I needed to click to get rid of it). But did find one on youtube. Gorgeous creatures. Fantastic markings. The mother, with her wide face and close together eyes, looks like a fox.

  31. Alan B Avatar
    Alan B

    I normally roll my eyes at the billions of cat pictures clogging up the web … but DAMN if that isn’t a beautiful little thing.

  32. Tessa Avatar
    Tessa

    is that normal for sand cats to only give birth to one kitten? the article didn’t mention any others.

  33. Header Graphic Garden Avatar

    These cats are beyond beautiful. I hope that many more can survive and thrive so this species doesn’t die out!

  34. Wildlife Avatar
    Wildlife

    Personally, I think survival of this species is more likely to happen only in captivity. Unfortunately, these rare cats have numerous predators in their home ranges. Many die from illness, get killed by other species feeding upon them and number one.. humans! They kill them because the cat eats their livestock (chickens) or humans hunting them to make illegal rugs out of their skins. So sad but true, I’ve seen one of these rugs which was confiscated in the middle east and they must have literally killed 50+ sand cats to make one single rug. Unfortunatley, this is the demise of many of the rare, endangered wild cat species.

  35. wildlife Avatar
    wildlife

    One kitten is not the norm.

  36. Laura Avatar
    Laura

    Felicity, I don’t know whether you’re trolling for a ‘fight’ and I’m not going to debase this site by taking the bait. Suggest you keep your politics to yourself on this site.

  37. David Valance Avatar
    David Valance

    seriously, we can’t talk about beautiful kittens without someone bringing up anti-Israel rhetoric?

  38. David Valance Avatar
    David Valance

    I suppose it’s really a Palestinian kitten, right?

  39. conrad glass Avatar
    conrad glass

    pleade tell me where i can get one

  40. Cam Avatar

    Amazing, will be blogging about it at http://elite-tek.com

  41. asf Avatar
    asf

    i wanna be a sand cat

  42. Sweetiepie Avatar
    Sweetiepie

    That could be seen as offensive, you know. not trying to start anything 😀

  43. goomber101 Avatar
    goomber101

    I wanna get a pet one!

  44. Sweetiepie Avatar
    Sweetiepie

    awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

  45. Aubrey Avatar

    if you think that then there are only 116 left of them and they are so adorable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  46. northierthanthou Avatar

    Cute little bugger!

  47. Kirsten @ Green Global Travel Avatar

    So adorable. So glad to hear the species is re-populating.

  48. Maybell Avatar
    Maybell

    Now I want one for my birthday!!!SO CUTE!!!!!!!

  49. woowon kang Avatar

    wow those are some cute cats!!!! i love them with my whole heart

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