Bioparco di Roma welcomes five newborn fennec foxes

Five fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) pups were born at Rome's Bioparco di Roma. The mother, Bella, a seven‑year‑old female born at the zoo, gave birth about a month ago and is now nursing the cubs while beginning the weaning stage. The father, Rocco, also seven, arrived from the Zoo of Krakow in October 2025 as part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP). Park president Paola Palanza, an ethologist and professor at the University of Parma, said the cubs are healthy and their sex has not yet been determined.

The birth highlights the park’s participation in EEP, which coordinates captive breeding, research and education to conserve threatened species. Fennec foxes, the smallest canids, are adapted to desert life with large ears that aid thermoregulation and hearing. Their continued presence in European zoos supports public awareness of the species, which faces habitat loss and illegal trade in its native North‑African range.