Greensboro Science Center welcomes two female serval kittens

The Greensboro Science Center has a new spring draw for Greensboro families: two female serval kittens born April 6 to Tut and Kira, with their public debut expected in the coming weeks. The babies do not yet have names, but the center’s newest arrivals add another reason for parents, students and weekend visitors to stop in as spring turns to early summer.

The birth matters beyond the cute-factor. The Science Center is one of Greensboro’s signature family attractions, and a new pair of exotic cat kittens gives the property another reason for visitors to buy tickets, renew memberships and spend a day at a place that combines an aquarium, zoo and science museum. The center says 25 cents from each admission ticket supports conservation efforts, tying the animal news directly to its broader public mission.

This is also not the first time Tut and Kira have produced serval kittens at the center. In March 2024, the Greensboro Science Center announced two other serval kittens, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums later identified those as the first serval kittens born at the center. The zoo community has treated the breeding as notable because Tut and Kira were recommended through the Species Survival Plan, a population-management program for selected wildlife species.

The serval itself helps explain why the birth has drawn attention. According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, servals have the longest legs and largest ears for body size of any cat, and they can jump more than nine feet straight up to catch birds. That unusual profile has long made the species a strong exhibit animal, especially for visitors who are unlikely to see one up close outside a zoo setting.

The April arrival also fits the Greensboro Science Center’s larger conservation and education strategy. The center’s Revolution Ridge expansion was designed to let guests see animal milestones, including breeding, more closely, and the institution says its conservation work includes on-site research, field studies, community awareness, native mussel propagation and pollinator habitat projects. With Tut and Kira now raising a second successful litter, the center has another high-visibility example of how animal care, public visitation and conservation messaging overlap in Guilford County.