Sand Cat Kitten

Two Arabian sand cat kittens were born at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden on Oct. 29, 2009. As of January 20, 2010, there are 26 sand cats in captivity in the United States.
The extirpation of the sand cat from Israel - along with the fact that the cat is threatened throughout its range - led the Jerusalem Zoo to begin a reintroduction project for the species. An acclimatization enclosure was built, using money from the Zoo's Prof. Shulov Fund for the Study of Animals in Captivity, at Kibbutz Lotan's Bird Reserve in the Arava Desert. Following construction of the enclosure, the first individuals were transferred for acclimatization, and shortly afterwards were released into the wild. The tracking of these cats after their release will be conducted by the Creative Ecology staff at Kibbutz Lotan, and by Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority (INNPPA) rangers.
A sand cat was born at Israel's Safari Zoo in July 2011, and, as of August 2011, was doing well at 3 weeks of age. She has been named Renana and it is hoped that she will join Israel's Sand Cat Breeding Program in order to reintroduce the species back into the wild.