Bat-eared fox kit born at Zoo Knoxville beginning to venture out of the den

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Zoo Knoxville has a new addition following the birth of a bat-eared fox kit on April 11, 2024. The kit, named “Ziggy”, has started to explore their home outside of the den under the watchful eyes of parents Fern and Motsumi.

The zoo shared that Ziggy can be seen in the early mornings and late afternoons when the Zoo is quiet and over the next few weeks, they are expected to begin spending more time outdoors.

“Ziggy is hitting all the appropriate developmental milestones and this is exactly when we would expect to see a kit start taking short forays out of the den,” said Terry Canon, curator of mammals. “Since Ziggy is healthy and mom and dad are doing an excellent job caring for them, we have been keeping the den quiet and our interactions to a minimum to give them time to bond as a family. At this point, we don’t know if we have a male or female kit.”

Accoridng to the zoo, bat-eared foxes live in family groups of mates and their young. In addition, males tend to be active in guarding, grooming, and playing with the kits. Caregivers shared that father Fern has been very attentive and protective of Ziggy.

The foxes are native to more than 10 African countries and play a role in the ecosystem by controlling termites. A single fox can reportedly eat more than 1.15 million termites per year. The zoo wrote that the animals are “threatened by loss of habitat as human populations expand. Conservation groups are working with local communities to implement sustainable agriculture, reducing the amount of land needed, and mitigating human-wildlife conflict.”

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