Fossa fortress in Lowestoft
A NEW �40,000 enclosure has been unveiled at Africa Alive, for one of its rarest residents.The new complex - containing a purpose-built indoor facility and a vast range of climbing opportunities - has been specially designed for the Fossa, the largest carnivore to be found on the island of Madagascar.
A NEW �40,000 enclosure has been unveiled at Africa Alive, for one of its rarest residents.
The new complex - containing a purpose-built indoor facility and a vast range of climbing opportunities - has been specially designed for the Fossa, the largest carnivore to be found on the island of Madagascar.
Fourteen cubs have been born at Africa Alive since 1995, making the Kessingland wildlife park the most successful in the UK for breeding Fossas and one of the top three in the world, along with Duisburg in Germany and Dvur Kralove in the Czech Republic.
It is hoped the new facilities are to the liking of the park's Fossas Kia and Edward, so they can maintain its breeding success.
You may also want to watch:
In the wild, Fossas are listed as 'endangered' with an estimated population of fewer than 2,500 adults in fragmented groups throughout Madagascar. They are found mainly in rainforests, although some live in protected areas in the island's high plateau.
Their biggest threat is man and loss of habitat through deforestation, population fragmentation and persecution.
Most Read
- 1 Man in 20s among further Covid deaths at Norfolk hospital
- 2 Delays expected as 48-ton boat is transported through region
- 3 Lowestoft gets £24.9m for key town centre projects
- 4 When do the clocks go forward in 2021?
- 5 Parts of Waveney could be Covid-free for first time in months, figures show
- 6 Pontins accused of using discriminatory 'undesirable guest' list
- 7 'A big thank you' - Superheroes salute key workers and NHS staff
- 8 Best friends to launch sweet shop together in seaside town
- 9 The voice of the Shipping Forecast publishes latest fox storybook
- 10 Sex offender caught with indecent images avoids prison
Fossas are opportunistic feeders and will take whatever they can catch - occasionally preying on lemurs and also on domestic poultry, which makes them unpopular with local people.
They are seasonal breeders that live solitary lives, the males and females only coming together to mate. Their claws retract like a cat's and although they are placed in a group of their own (the Cryptoproctinae), their closest relatives are civets and genets.
The species is managed as an EEP (European Endangered species Programme) and there are approximately 70 animals in captivity worldwide, mostly in Europe and North America.
