CHESHIRE, England — A British zoo recently welcomed three rare, cat-like additions to its family: fossa pups.
According to the BBC, the Chester Zoo in Cheshire, England, announced Friday that the unnamed triplets were born in July to mother Shala and father Isalo, both 5. Two of the 12-week-old pups are females, and one is male, the zoo said in a news release.
“The trio have emerged from their den and are now exploring and playing together,” the attraction added in a Instagram post.
The new arrivals are the first fossa pups ever born at the zoo, which opened in 1931, the release said.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources lists fossas as vulnerable. An estimated 2,600 to 8,600 of the mammals, which are related to the mongoose and native to Madagascar, remain in the wild, according to the organization’s website.
“These three fossa pups are incredibly important to the future of the species and the safety-net population found in conservation zoos like ours, which has become vitally important given the huge amount of deforestation in Madagascar,” Mike Jordan, the zoo’s director of animals and plants, said in a statement.