ZooBorns

Dingo Puppies!

Fort Wayne Children's Zoo Dingoes Naya and Mattie became the proud parents of seven adorable puppies on January 30.  The four male and three female pups are the first Dingoes to be born at the zoo since 1988.

“All of the pups appear strong and healthy, and Naya and Mattie are excellent parents,” says Elaine Kirchner, Australian Adventure Area Manager. 

For now, the puppies live indoors in a cozy nest box. When Naya enters the nest box, the puppies whimper and crawl to her belly, where they nurse.  The pups’ eyes will open at around two weeks of age, and they may begin to venture out of the nest box to explore the Dingoes’ heated indoor quarters.

Photo credits: Fort Wayne Children's Zoo

Mattie and Naya are one of only about 75 pairs of pure Dingoes worldwide, so the pups are an important addition to the pure Dingo population.  In Australia, Dingoes have widely hybridized with domestic dogs, so pure Dingoes are rare.  Mattie and Naya came to the zoo from Australia in 2010.

Dingo Pups Pad Around in Perth

The sound of padded feet is once again being heard at Perth Zoo in Western Australia following the arrival of two Dingo pups. The pups, named Daku and Mirri, are pure-breed Alpine Dingos born on March 13, 2011 at the Australian Dingo Conservation Association in New South Wales. They were then sent to their new home at Perth Zoo.

The pups train daily so staff can keep a close eye on their health and provide medication or physical check-ups without the need for restraint or anaesthesia. To achieve this, the keepers use positive reinforcement-based training known as operant conditioning. The keeper asks the pups to follow a cue, such as sit or lie down, and when they do the behaviour correctly, the keeper praises them and rewards them with a treat.

Of course, it’s not all work and no play. The pups are full of energy and enjoy their play time.

Photo Credit: Perth Zoo

They still have a few months to go on their training before they appear in public areas with their keepers but until then they can be seen in their exhibit at the entrance to the Australian Bushwalk.

 

Labrador Shows Lonely Dingo Pup the Ropes

At New Zealand's Wellington Zoo, a young Labrador mix is teaching a Dingo puppy the art of being a canine. Percy, a yellow lab who was abandoned and picked up by the SPCA, is playing companion to young Wolfrik, Wellington's sole Dingo pup. According to zoo officials, Percy is a bit older and wiser, and hasn't been shy about putting young Wolfrik in his place. The zoo hopes that they will be able to find a mate for Wolfrik, at which point Percy will be adopted by one of the zoo's staff. The Dingo is a primitive canine species found only on the Australian continent. It is often mistakenly thought that Dingoes do not bark.

Wolfrik lunges for a nibble on Percy's ear

Wolfrik goes for higher ground

It's exhausting being this rambunctious.

Maybe the Dingo Ate Your Kibble...

Dingoes are not domestic dogs but boy does this little pup look like one! New Zealand's Wellington Zoo welcomed a new Dingo puppy from Australia this past Friday, July 23rd. There is a common misconception that Dingoes were simply domestic dogs that went wild but they are actually a distinct evolutionary line. The most popular theory suggests that Australian Dingo developed from semi-tame wolf-like ancestors that accompanied humans to the continent around 4,000 years ago.

Feisty Dingo Puppies Make Their Debut

Four months old and full of energy, male dingo pup Mattie and female pup Naya come to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo in Indiana straight from the Dingo Discovery Centre in Victoria, Australia. While they may look like domestic dogs, dingoes started branching off as a subspecies 4,000-5,000 years ago. Unlike domestic dogs, dingoes howl instead of bark and can only breed once a year. In the photos below, Mattie and Naya explore their new exhibit for the first time and reportedly "enjoyed it immensely!"

More pics and info below the fold!