An unprecedented birth took place at the Naples Zoo: four pit puppies came to the world for the first time in Italy. Two males and two females, baptized Marie, Claire, Kevin and Rasmus, the first two in homage to figures linked to the history of the zoo, the other two to the players De Bruyne and Højlund. The event was welcomed as a goal in the conservation of a rare species, but behind enthusiasm a less romantic truth is hidden: these animals will never know freedom.
The fossa (Cryptoproca Ferox) is the largest carnivore in Madagascar, an agile and lonely predator, also the protagonist of the film Madagascar. However, in reality his life is far from cartoon. With less than 2,000 specimens in nature, the species is classified as “vulnerable” by the IICCN.
The deforestation of the Madagascar, the poaching and the progressive loss of habitat drastically reduced the population. Hence the need for captivity reproduction programs, considered essential to ensure the survival of the species.
Conservation or captivity disguised as salvation?
As mentioned, the birth of these puppies is presented as a victory for European science and zoo, but it is not really like that. Is it really a success to see a species that should run free in the Madagascar forest to grow between the walls of a fence?
The mother, Tonga, is raising them under veterinary control, but their destiny seems already written: to be part of the reproduction programs in captivity, useful for genetic conservation but unable to return the lost freedom.
Zoo experts speak of a “team goal” for biodiversity, but the game is played all away from their natural habitat. Capitivity reproduction is often the only one of salvation for decline species, but it also represents the defeat of an ecological balance now broken.
The price of survival
The four small pits will grow in a protected environment, without knowing the scent of tropical forests or the hunt for the lemurs, their natural prey. Their agility will be exercised between artificial branches and curious looks of visitors. It is the paradox of modern conservation: to preserve the species by sacrificing the freedom of individuals.
The Naples Zoo celebrates the result as a hope for the future, but the real challenge remains elsewhere: protect the Madagascar, reduce the destruction of the forests and ensure that the pits continue to live where they belong, not as attractions but as symbols of a nature that must return to being free.
A birth that makes history! For the first time in Italy, the Madagascar pit were born at the Naples zoo – …
Posted by Lo Zoo di Napoli on Friday, Octaber 3, 2025
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