Out of the bag Out of the bag

Rare sand kittens born in Ramat Gan

Safari’s new additions born through program to promote breeding of species once extinct in Israel; mom and youngsters doing fine

By Greg Tepper 14 August 2012, 11:22 pm

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Four red sand kittens were recently born at the zoological center in Ramat Gan, raising hopes for a comeback of the adorable species.

The kittens were born in the safari park three weeks ago, but were only displayed by staff to the public on Tuesday. Mother and babies were said to be doing fine.

Although native to Asia and Africa, including Israeli deserts, the sand cat was extinct in Israel for some time. Sand cats are the only felines found primarily in deserts.

Rotem, the kittens’ mother, was brought to Israel from Germany, the International Business Times reported. The safari park is taking part in a program to breed the cats.