Lakeland Wildlife Oasis staff had a tight window of only a few days during breeding season when future parents Mango and Makira would tolerate each other.<\/p>\n
“You don’t just put them together and be done with it,” Eccles said.<\/p>\n
“They are quite aggressive with each other as well, the male and the female don’t typically live together, we have to mix them very carefully at a very precise time of year to make sure that they’re actually receptive to each other.”<\/p>\n
He said staff were “over the moon” when the triplets were born, adding it was a “very big step towards fossa conservation”.<\/p>\n
An announcement from the zoo described the playful trio as “troublesome”.<\/p>\n
Eccles said they were “constantly” wrestling and climbing, putting their mum’s patience to the test.<\/p>\n
“I really don’t understand how Makira, the female, puts up with them sometimes because they just never stop,” he said.<\/p>\n
“The only time they stop is when they are asleep.<\/p>\n
“Thankfully they do sleep for part of the day, because I don’t think Makira would manage otherwise.”<\/p>\n
The pups are born blind and toothless and reach maturity after two to four years. <\/p>\n
They typically live between 15 and 20 years.<\/p>\n
It is estimated that as few as 2,500 fossas remain in the wild.<\/p>\n
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