Cincinnati Zoo's Baby Bat-Eared Fox Learns to Do Tricks Like a Dog

The adorable baby Bat-Eared Fox at the Cincinnati Zoo continues to thrive and be as adorable as ever, including a new update where the little one shows off their new tricks.

On May 22, 2024, the Cincinnati Zoo shared an update on the new tricks the growing baby fox has learned, and it's impressive. Take a look!

In a 47-second video , we catch up with the baby Bat-Eared Fox at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

Related: Cincinnati Zoo Announces the Winning Name for Their Baby Bat-Eared Fox

" Kalahari, also known as Kal , the Bat-Eared Fox kit, is growing quickly and eager to step into his role as an ambassador animal at the Cincinnati Zoo , the text on the screen reads.

In the clip, the growing kit shows off some of his new tricks, including learning to sit on command and spin in a circle.

"One of the key parts of this is voluntarily participating in training," the video continues. "Training at this age is essential for bonding with his care staff, helping him be prepared for things in the future like vet care and programs."

According to the video, sweet Kal is picking up on the training very well. "We use positive reinforcement training, and his favorite food reward right now is his meat!" the zoo shares. "We started with a few simple behaviors like 'sit,' 'circle,' and 'turn.'"

The zookeeper working with Kal shared that at first, he was "spooked by the clicker," but being the smart little fox he is, he quickly figured it out.

"We had to desensitize him to it, and now he understands that it means he did the behavior correctly and a treat is coming," the video shares.

In the comment section, people were rooting for Kal and the new tricks that he's learned.

"I saw the hospital gown [and] thought he was visiting patients to be a service fox," admitted one TikTok viewer.

"So cute and smart," shared someone.

"He's so smart," admitted one TikTok viewer.

"Oh cute, he's better trained than most of the dogs I see at work," wrote another.

"Ugh, I love foxes," another declared.

"The extra spin" is what one person pointed out.

The Cincinnati Zoo Has Been Providing Regular Updates on Kal

Kal has grown so much since we first met him in early April through the videos and photos shared on social media from the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. When we first saw this little guy, he easily fit into a zookeeper's hand, and his fur was more silver-gray than it looks now.

In that video, the little guy was only a week old, and there wasn't even an official name for the little guy yet.

But we received another update on him a week later, as he enjoyed a bottle with the help of one of the zoo's dedicated zookeepers.

And in one more week, the little guy was even bigger, this time fitting into two hands of the zookeeper. His coat color had changed a lot in that time, too, now looking more brown than silver, and his eyes went from very blue to a deeper color.

This update gave Kalahari (aka Kal) his name, which is a nod to the Kalahari desert, where they are native.