ISRAEL: Four sand kittens, considered extinct in Israel, delight the crowds at Ramat Gan Safari Park near Tel Aviv

Record ID: 397471

  • Title: ISRAEL: Four sand kittens, considered extinct in Israel, delight the crowds at Ramat Gan Safari Park near Tel Aviv
  • Date: 14th August 2012
  • Summary: RAMAT GAN, ISRAEL (AUGUST 14, 2012) (REUTERS) SAND KITTEN INSIDE CAVE SAND KITTENS INSIDE CAVE SAND KITTENS MOTHER, NAMED "ROTEM", WALKING BY CHILDREN WATCHING ROTEM LICKING SAND KITTENS (SOUNDBITE) (English) KEREN OR, ZOOLOGICAL INFORMATION COORDINATOR IN RAMAT GAN SAFARI PARK, SAYING: "We are very excited because Sand Cat is an extinct species in Israel, although in the
  • Embargoed: 29th August 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVACRH0RRNJKJE79LDKEG970RDC5
  • Story Text: The workers of Ramat Gan Safari Park near Tel Aviv were overjoyed on Tuesday (August 14) as they displayed the open-air zoo's recent success: four rare sand kittens, considered extinct in Israel, who were born three weeks ago.
    Rotem, the kittens' mother was brought from Germany, gave birth a year ago to the first Israeli zoo-born sand kitten. The father, Sela, was brought in from Poland.
    Zoo workers said they were surprised by the number of kittens born this time and were proud that Rotem was able to take care of them all.

    "We are very excited because Sand Cat is an extinct species in Israel, although in the world it's not extinct, it's nearly threatened. Buy here in Israel it has been extinct because it was pushed away from the sand by other mammals," said the zoo's zoological information coordinator, Keren Or.

    "We were very worried in the beginning if she could deal with four kittens, it's a lot of work, but she's doing perfectly and all the kittens are healthy, happy and soon will be roaming around in the exhibit and everyone will be able to see them and enjoy them," she said.
    She added that the Ramat Gan Safari Park is taking part in a European breeding programme for Sand Cats.

    "Sand Cats in our zoo are a part of an international breeding programme, a European breeding programme. And once the kittens are old enough to leave their family, they will be transferred to other zoos to start couples or pairs, to start their own families in other zoos and keep on the reproduction of this endangered cat," she said.
    The Sand Cat species (Felis Maragrita) is a wild desert cat considered extinct in Israel and efforts are being made for its conservation, the Ramat Gan Safari Park said in a press release. The cats mainly exist in the deserts of Asia and Africa, it added. The Sand cat is the only species of feline to truly live in a desert environment.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register