Taraje was born in Toruń

Taraj (Prionailurus viverrinus), also called the spotted cat, is one of the least known felines in the world. These animals live in wet and riverine areas of the equatorial forests of Southeast Asia, where they eagerly hunt fish and molluscs.

This rare species is at risk of extinction – wild individuals are threatened by habitat loss, and there are only 145 individuals in zoos. Tarai very rarely breed outside the natural environment, which is why the birth announced by the Zoobotanical Garden in Toruń turned out to be such an important event.

According to the Garden authorities, four taraja kittens were born on February 27. The litter was large for this species – females usually give birth to one or two cubs – which contributed to the fact that the smallest kitten unfortunately did not survive. The other three are feeling fine.

“Only six kittens were born last year – four in the Zoobotanical Garden in Toruń and two in Songkhla Zoo in Thailand,” it was written on social media.

Due to the need to provide the female with peace and quiet while raising her young, the taraj enclosure will be unavailable to visitors for some time.

The history of tarai from the Toruń zoo begins in 2020, when two young male cats were brought there. After two years, one of them went to the Tallinn Zoo, while the other one stayed there, where he was soon joined by a young female from the Czech Republic. The keepers began the arduous process of getting to know the animals.

“Initially, the tarai occupied separate enclosures separated by a net, which allowed them to get to know each other first. The pair bonding in a common enclosure began at the turn of August and September. It is a difficult and risky process, as aggression often occurs,” said the Garden authorities.

Fortunately, the cats liked it, and the first signs of the female's heat were observed in December – she began to call characteristically to her partner. For a long time, caregivers were not sure whether fertilization had occurred because the act of copulation could not be observed.