Two litters of rare ocelot kittens were successfully born through artificial insemination, zoo officials said.
Three of the five ocelots born March 1 and March 2 survived and are now living with their mothers, either at the Cincinnati Zoo or the El Paso Zoo, officials said in a release.
The father of both litters is Jack, a 16-year-old ocelot living at the Houston Zoo. He was taken from Brazil and moved to the Cleveland Zoo in 2006, when his semen was collected and frozen.
He has no other offspring but is considered one of the most genetically valuable male ocelots in captivity.
The only other time an ocelot was born through artificial insemination was in 1996, officials said.
Ocelots have been on the U.S. endangered species list since 1982. Fewer than 100 are believed to be living in South Texas.
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