Greensboro Science Center invites public to name serval kittens

The Greensboro Science Center has turned the birth of two serval sisters into a public naming contest, inviting Guilford County residents to weigh in on the zoo’s newest arrivals, born April 6 to Kira and Tut. On Thursday, the center opened an online poll with four themed pairings: Ramona and Beatrice, Bastet and Neith, Kassi and Kahina, and Violet and Hyacinth.

The naming push is also part of the center’s animal-care mission. The births were recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, which is designed to help manage healthy, genetically diverse animal populations in human care, and the new litter adds to a species the AZA says has seen declining numbers in human care. Servals are known for their long legs, oversized ears and a remarkable ability to jump more than nine feet straight up to catch birds. “We are immensely proud of Tut and Kira becoming parents again,” Megan Hankins said. The kittens are Kira and Tut’s second successful litter, following Persephone and Zephyr in 2024, and the center has used public naming polls for serval kittens before.

The kittens are not yet visible to visitors because staff are limiting disturbance while they remain in a protected space bonding with Kira and continuing to develop. The science center expects them to be viewable in the indoor serval holding area in the coming weeks. Families who want to see them when they debut can plan a visit during the Greensboro Science Center’s daily hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 4301 Lawndale Drive, where parking is free on a first-come, first-served basis.