Watch CBS News

Black-Footed Cat Born, Hand-Reared At Brookfield Zoo

BROOKFIELD, Ill. (CBS) -- Brookfield Zoo announced this week that a black-footed cat has been born at the zoo for the first time ever.

As WBBM Newsradio's Kris Kridel reports, black-footed cats are the smallest of African felines, half the size of house cats. They are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species; less than 10,000 are alive in the wild in southern Africa.

The male kitten was born at Brookfield on Feb. 14. He had to be hand-reared after his mother, Cleo, did not provide proper maternal care – leaving the kitten's body temperature "alarmingly" low, the zoo said.

The kitten was placed in an incubator to maintain his body temperature, and was given milk formula from a small bottle. He is now beginning to eat solid food at 6 weeks old, the zoo said.

Black-footed cats have resided at Brookfield Zoo since 2009. In total, there are 60 black-footed cats in American zoos.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Kris Kridel reports

Podcast

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.