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Ocelot kitten acing exams

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications


Ocelot kitten Evita is acing her exams.

At her 9-week exam last Monday, animal health staff gave Evita another clean bill of health.

These regular exams, part of the zoo's preventive health program, allow us to monitor Evita's progress and make sure she's achieving critical benchmarks.

Evita is indeed hitting all of her developmental stages on target, and she's growing and gaining weight as expected.

Animal health staff keeps the exams quick and efficient to minimize the amount of time Evita is away from her mother, Bella. After the exam, she's quickly returned to Bella in a behind the scenes area at the Tropical Rain Forest exhibit. Mom and kitty share a strong bond and Evita's progress is evidence of the great maternal care that Bella is providing.

We expect to introduce Evita on exhibit with her mother in another few weeks—aiming for mid- to late-April. We'll let you know when she is ready to make her debut!

Photos by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo.

Comments

Kuei-Ti Lu said…
Evita was cute and looked energetic; I expect to see her. I wonder what kinds of exams were done and how?
Hi, Kuei-Ti. Animal Health staff check the progress of the kitten as she grows to ensure that everything is developing and as healthy as it should: teeth, eyes, skin, etc., similar to how a pediatrician would check a human infant's development and well being. And we're happy to report, she's doing great!
tako said…
She is the most beautiful and adorable little munchkin I have every seen! I actually was wondering I would love to do a volunteer work for such work and just get a chance to experience this. Is there any way or d I have to be certified what not please if you could let me know. It may be a wild question itself but always try right?:)
Tako--We do have some volunteer positions that open up in animal units. There's no contact with the animals for health and safety reasons, but you'll work in close proximity to them. You can find all of our volunteer info at www.zoo.org/volunteer
Anonymous said…
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE