A safari park in Wiltshire which saw the birth of two rare foxes earlier this year has given an update in celebration of National Fox Day.

National Fox Day is celebrated annually on Tuesday, September 17 but is particularly special for the keepers at Longleat Safari Park in Warminster this year.

Twin female foxes Dot and Other were born at the park in April 2024 weighing just 46 grams and have been hand-reared since birth after mum Zuri struggled to produce enough milk and take care of them.

The rare birth sparked nationwide interest in the twins, who are vital to the European Breeding Programme, as fewer than 10 fennec foxes have been born in Europe this year.

A third kit was born in the same litter, but did not survive.

Now five months on, keepers at Longleat have celebrated National Fox Day by starting the process of refamiliarising the foxes with their parents again.

Twin fox kits Dot and Other are celebrating being five months old on National Fox DayTwin fox kits Dot and Other are celebrating being five months old on National Fox Day (Image: Tom Anders/Longleat) “We’re reintroducing the kits to their parents through mesh, so each group can get used to the others’ scents," said team manager Catriona Moy, who cares for the twins around the clock.

"They get the opportunity to touch noses and get familiar with each other, whilst we look to plan what is best for their long-term future.

"They have already had nose-to-nose contact with dad Enzi through the mesh and that has gone well.”

Fennec Foxes are the smallest of all fox species, and can typically be found in the Sahara and North Africa.

At five months old, the kits now weigh 15 times their birth weight.

Dot and Other pictured at just seven weeks oldDot and Other pictured at just seven weeks old (Image: Tom Anders/Longleat) Keeper Samantha Peeke, who helped hand-rear the kits added: “We’re so proud of how far the kits have come.

“Now the kits are older we are taking a step back and it’s been wonderful to watch them exhibiting all their natural behaviours.

“They spend lots of time zooming and climbing around their environment, digging through the sand and foraging as well as catching their own insects."

Visitors to Longleat may be able to catch a peek of the young sisters in the outdoor Fennec Fox area in Animal Adventure.