On May 20 Vixie, the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo’s female arctic fox, gave birth to a litter of six kits.
They were weighed and sexed by zoo staff this past Sunday. There are five boys and one girl, and all appear to be in good health.
This is the second litter for the zoo’s arctic fox couple.
The foxes Todd and Vixie were moved to an off-exhibit area earlier in May in preparation for the birth. The fox family will remain in that off-exhibit area for four weeks until the kits are weaned. Male and female foxes share parenting duties.

June Jaunt show
The zoo will be represented at the June Jaunt this Saturday. The public is invited to listen and meet the stars of the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo from 9-9:30 a.m. in Jack Kilby Square. The Relay for Life Kids Zone will also open in the courthouse square at 9, and will be open until 4 p.m. A full schedule of June Jaunt events can be found online at k96junejuant.com and in today’s Great Bend Tribune.

Girl Scouts at the zoo
This past weekend Girl Scouts from Hays and Scott City visited the Kansas Wetlands Education Center and then came to the zoo.
At the KWEC they went on a nature walk, where they spotted a Baltimore oriole and heard a frog. They also learned to tie some knots and built a campfire so they could enjoy s’mores and other snacks.
At the zoo, Zookeeper Liz Clark helped them learn some things about animal habitats and behavior. The Girl Scouts then got to tour the zoo and helped pick up some trash.

Other zoo news
May also saw the alligators moved back to their outdoor exhibit, after some new fencing was installed.