Lake Superior Zoo celebrates first babies in four years

DULUTH - Congratulations are in order for a very happy couple:  Sampson and Nellie – two bat–eared foxes at the Lake Superior Zoo.

They are proud parents of two kits, born January 24th.  It's the first successful birth at the zoo since 2006.  The tiny foxes, one male and one female, are 25 days old.  Their parents are working together to raise them.

"It's really a 50/50 endeavor between Mom, who obviously takes care of the feeding, but Dad also spends a lot of time with those pups," said Dave Thompson, the primary keeper of the primate nocturnal center.  "[The Dad} is not only the protector, but gives Mom a break from time to time."   

The kits — which haven't been named yet – are on exhibit now.  And they won't stay tiny for long.  Thompson says within five months, they'll be full adult size.

He expects Nellie, the Mom, may have more kits in the future.