The sand cat is one of the most mysterious wild cats on the planet. These rare wild animals live only in North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. They are the only species of cats living in deserts.
Grégory Breton, who had worked with captive populations of sand cats in the North African desert since 2013, managed to capture three sand kittens after his team has radio-collared adult female who they believed was the kittens’ mother.
“I was chatting with our local driver, Elhaj, to keep him awake… We were close to giving up,” said Breton. “Then, it happened. Three pairs of eyes gleamed back.”
This is a first time wild sand cubs to be documented in their natural habitat in Africa. Because they’ve been considered so mysterious, it has been assumed that populations of sand cats are widespread, not highly vulnerable to human activity.
Breton and his team hope to learn more about this poorly known and lovely species.