Their birth is a first for this zoo, in spite of its having been opened for 168 years

Oct 8, 2012 08:31 GMT  ·  By

Quite a while ago (on the 5th of August, to be more precise), the staff at the Berlin Zoo witnessed the birth of two very rare rusty-spotted cat cubs.

Apparently, rusty-spotted cats are some of the world's smallest wild felines, meaning that they only measure about 78 centimeters (2.55 feet) tops from head to tail, and their average weight is 0.9 – 1.6 kilograms (1.98 – 3.52 pounds).

Up until now, the two kittens born at the Berlin Zoo have been busy bonding with their mother and staying clear of the public eye as much as possible, but the time has now come for them to assume their role as ambassadors for the species and educate people with respect to their natural habitat needing all the protection it can get.

Although rusty-spotted cats are presently listed as a vulnerable species, it seems that both the expansion of human society and the fur trade could soon push them towards becoming an endangered one.