Despite its appearance as an adorable little feline, a black-footed cat which has just been welcomed to the Hogle Zoo in Utah, in the United States, is in fact considered the deadliest feline on the planet.
“Barely 8 months old, she is small in size, but big in her fiery personality,” summarized the zoo in a Facebook publication dated December 28, where Gaia’s arrival was announced.
Delighting the hearts of many Facebook users in the comments, the zoo quickly alerted them that this is not a cat like the adorable balls of fur that you might have at home.
Indeed, the black-footed cat has obtained the status of the deadliest feline in the world due to one of the highest success rates in hunting. It would thus capture more prey in a single night than a leopard in six months, explained the Smithsonian Magazine.
Gaia arrived at this American zoo after a recommendation from the Black-Footed Cat Consortium, which has only 29 of these felines.
The zoo already has a male cat of this species among its residents. “We will let these two feline friends get to know each other when Gaia has reached maturity,” it was clarified.
The black-footed cat lives in the arid regions of eastern Namibia, central and southern Botswana and South Africa.