We are so excited to feature the two newest members of the Cincinnati Zoo fam…bat-eared fox kits! These 2 little boys were born on April 6th to first-time parents Frankie and Otis. While Otis prefers to live out of the public eye, you may have seen their mom, Frankie, during a program at the zoo! Through ultrasounds, radiographs and even thermal imaging, we were able to stay on top of how the babies and mom were doing during the entirety of her pregnancy and beyond. The kits are strong and full of personality already. These kits are not yet available to be viewed by the public.

A trio of month-old Bat-eared Fox kits are stealing hearts at Germany’s Zoo Krefeld since they emerged from their den in early June.

It’s been ten years since Bat-eared Foxes were born at Zoo Krefeld, and the arrival of a new female in February revived the breeding program.

Photo Credits: Hella Hallmann (1, 2, 4), Stjepan Ivekovic (3), Zoo Krefeld (5) 

Very few European zoos hold these charismatic African foxes. Bat-eared Foxes differ from other members of the Canid family in many ways. Instead of 34 differentiated teeth, they have nearly 50 needle-sharp teeth, which are used to chew their favorite food – insects (mainly termites). Their large ears help them locate insects hiding below ground and help cool the body as blood passes through the ears’ thin skin.  

Bat-eared Foxes live on the grasslands and savannahs of eastern and southern Africa. They are not under significant threat at this time, though changing land use patterns could pose a threat in the future.

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Meet ‘Becky’ and ‘Bandit’, a pair of Bat-Eared Foxes that are now making their home at Cango Wildlife Ranch, Oudtshoorn, South Africa. 

Photo Credits: Cango Wildlife Ranch

In their first few weeks of life, the brother and sister have lived something straight from a script for a feature film, or one of those lovely children’s books. A local farmer brought the duo to the Ranch after finding them on his farm. The farmer was building a dam on his property. The dam collapsed, and shortly after, the pups were seen floating in a stream of water. The farmer did his best to locate their den and find the mother. When neither could be located, he realized the pups needed more specialized care to ensure their survival.

The pups were brought to the Cango Wildlife Ranch and were estimated to be around two-weeks of age. After a proper clean-up, they were placed into an incubator for warmth. Staff began feeding them every 3 hours and stared round-the-clock care.

Every day, for 4 weeks, the pups travelled to and from work with the Ranch’s Zoological Manager, Narinda Pentz, who cared for them 24-hours a day. Luckily, she had special help in the form of her 8-year old Labrador, ‘Zoey’.  Zoey became a wonderful playmate and guardian, and the fox pups soon took full advantage of her loving, placid nature. Becky was initially quite timid, but has become an outgoing explorer, and her brother, Bandit, can ‘out-dig’ her any day of the week!

The foxes are now at home at the Ranch and both are doing extremely well. They are much loved and adored additions to the Cango Wildlife Ranch family!

More incredible photos, below the fold!

Prague Zoo has a new litter of Bat-eared foxes. The first weeks of their lives involve snuggling close to mom within a safe underground burrow, but the quintuplets are now venturing out into their exhibit. The adult foxes in the zoo's Bat-eared Fox family must patiently endure love bites and playful attacks from their young during these first weeks.

Photo credit: Tomáš Adamec, Prague Zoo

In the wild, Bat-eared Foxes emerge from their den at dusk to prowl for prey. They tend to hang out near herds of Zebra, Buffalo, and other large mammals that attract insects.  Listening intently with its five-inch long ears, the Fox can detect a termite chewing grass or a beetle larva burrowing underground. Three Bat-eared Fox pups (2 females and 1 male) were born April 9 at Cincinnati Zoo to proud parents Runt and Pombre.

Photo credit: Connie Lemperle / Cincinnati Zoo

5 Bat-eared Fox kits were born to mother Singer & father Biko at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on May 10th. The kits are currently on exhibit exhibit with the park's Warthogs in the Heart of Africa area. The Bat-eared fox is a small African fox known for its enormous ears, which are over 5 inches (13 centimeters) long. The ears are full of blood vessels that shed heat and help keep the fox cool; they also give the animal a very good sense of hearing.

Photo credits: San Diego Zoological Society

The Everland Zoo in Seoul, Korea is always full of surprises. This time, it's a pair of Bat-eared Fox pups photographed just days ago by In Cherl Kim. Bat-eared Foxes are mostly nocturnal animals that live in small groups consisting of mated pairs and their young. The pairs live in dens and typically raise two to five pups together. Mated pairs are very social and are monogamous, although it is unknown if they mate for life.

Photo Credits: In Cherl Kim

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