3 Fossa Pups Born At San Diego Zoo

SAN DIEGO, CA — The San Diego Zoo has welcomed a litter of fossa pups, the world-famous zoo announced Wednesday.

The newborn trio includes two males named Isalo and Fiaro and a female named Volana.

The trio was born in July, but fossa moms raise their young solo, staying in the den for nearly three months before the pups begin venturing out to climb, explore and learn from mom. The pup are just starting to explore their habitat in the zoo's Africa Rocks area, making them visible to visitors for the first time.

These are the first fossa births at the zoo since 2017. In a full-circle moment, one of the pups born that year, Kintana, is the mother of this litter. The father, Charlie, was also born at the zoo back in 2008.

Since 1989, the San Diego Zoo has helped welcome more than 40 pups, contributing to global populations of this vulnerable species. The knowledge and expertise gained from these conservation efforts is now helping protect fossas around the world, according to the zoo.