Tiny arrivals in that rare breed: Sachin & Anjali have triplets in captivity

The world’s tiniest feline has just grown in number; though the new additions, naturally, are even tinier in size. Rusty-spotted cats Sachin and Anjali have had three kittens at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

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The world’s tiniest feline has just grown in number; though the new additions, naturally, are even tinier in size. Rusty-spotted cats Sachin and Anjali have had three kittens at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

It is only the second time that the species has been born in captivity, the first occasion having been in Frankfurt Zoo. Anjali’s kittens – two female, one male and each less than a quarter of a kilo – were born on November 8, which means they have already survived the critical first month.

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Found only in India and Sri Lanka, Rusty-spotted cats are vulnerable species considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild, according to the IUCN endangered animals list. At a maximum of weight of 1.5 kg and a body length of 35-48 cm, they are way smaller than their domestic cousins.

“We have hand-raised the two cats since 2006 and launched a breeding programme at the end of the monsoon. We covered their cage from all sides to facilitate mating. In fact, we were in talks with experts from Germany and even planned inviting them to SGNP, but they mated before that,” said Dr Vinaya Jangale, veterinary officer at SGNP.

The cubs came after a pregnancy that lasted 60-63 days. Jangale said they were all healthy. “For the first one month, the life expectancy of any cat species is uncertain. That danger period has passed and the cubs have a good chance of surviving,” she said.

The cubs are in a special connecting cage next to their parents’. They are now surviving only on mother’s milk; Anjali’s diet is being supplemented with vitamins. “We add calcium and vitamin tablets in their chicken broth,” Jangale said.

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After three months, the cubs will be given their first vaccine shots.

The success notwithstanding, conservator of forests Dr P N Munde said thought needs to be given to any future breeding plans. “So far, breeding has been easy and inexpensive. In fact, we managed a successful programme simply by collecting information from books and the Internet. But the real challenge begins now, in sustaining the programme,” he said.

“We have to prevent inbreeding and also contact other zoos to see if we can find other such cats anywhere. A huge challenge lies ahead,” Jangale said.