COAL VALLEY, Ill. — Baby foxes just dropped!!
Three Fennec foxes were born at Niabi Zoo on Feb. 4, 2021. The kits are all boys and were born to a 4-year-old male Jelani and a 10-year-old female Pika, who had the first-ever litter of Fennec foxes just a year ago, zoo director, Lee Jackson said in a statement Thursday.
The three boys will be places at other zoos in the coming months.
"Fennec foxes are native to the Sahara and Sinai deserts of North Africa," the statement said.
Niabi partners with more than 40 other zoos in the US and Canada to manage the breeding of the species in North America.
"Fennec foxes are the smallest of all fox species and are known for their unusually large ears that serve to both locate prey underground and to dissipate heat from their bodies in the harsh desert environment," the statement said. "These endearing small members of the fox family are favorites among zoo visitors."
The zoo has reopened from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week. COVID-19 protocols are in effect.