Written by Sophie Mann, Dailymail.Com
05:18 01 2024, updated 05:18 01 2024
Utah’s Hogle Zoo has welcomed an adorable new resident whose sweet appearance and large eyes are deceptive compared to his ferocious nature.
Gaia, a small black-footed African cat, was born eight months ago in May and arrived in Utah from Glen Rose, Texas, last October.
The zoo regularly posts photos of the baby cat, which entertains fans, and says it weighs about 2.64 pounds.
She underwent a quarantine period and medical examination before opening to the public a few weeks ago.
She is now described by Bob Cisneros, Associate Director of Animal Care, as “a pretty brave cat” and “a mighty warrior.”
Cisneros added that Gaia has become accustomed to her new surroundings at night when no one is around to observe her.
“When we all come (in the morning), she’s crouched down in a little cave,” he said.
The young feline is currently being kept on a strict diet that includes ground bones, skeletal muscle, organs and “the occasional mouse, which has already been humanely euthanized through a zoo distributor.”
Black-footed cats like Gaia are considered to be some of the deadliest cats in the world.
Hunting success rate is 60 percent, while big cats have a success rate of about 20 percent.
According to Hogle Zoo, black-footed cats can eat about 3,000 rodents a year in their natural habitat.
“These guys are voracious hunters. They have a reputation for being very ferocious cats,” Cisneros said.
Despite their small size, blackfoots can jump up to 5 feet in the air and up to 6.5 feet in distance.
Black-footed cats are native to Africa and are found primarily in the arid eastern regions of Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. They are the smallest species of wild cat found on the continent.
In Afrikaans, they are called “anthill tigers”.
Gaia is one of four black-footed kittens born at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas.