After a very difficult start in life, young wild dogs – an endangered species – have been given a second chance at the Indiana Zoo thanks to a golden retriever mother, who cares for them like children. They were his special puppies.
The baby residents at the Pottawatomie Zoo were born last September, the zoo said in a press release last week.
In the wild, all members of a wild dog pack participate in feeding and raising the young, something that is difficult to recreate in a zoo.
“Twelve hours after the puppies were born at the Pottawatomie Zoo, the animal care team determined that the herd would not be able to successfully raise puppies. The organization explained that Blue, an inexperienced mother, did not care for her young as she should have, and father Maurice followed suit.” Follow suit.
In order to increase their chance of survival, a group of experts specializing in breeding plans for this species suggested intervening and finding an alternative dog to feed them.
Within hours, the zoo community was able to find a female golden retriever named Cassie, who had just had a litter and had enough milk to share with the young wild dogs.
“Cassie and her puppies arrived at the zoo the day after the wild puppies were born. Cassie accepted the puppies immediately and began caring for and nurturing them as if they were her own,” he explained.
Of the litter of eight wild dogs, only three survived.
“When the cubs grow older, they may be integrated into the Pottawatomie Zoo group or transferred to another approved facility where we hope they can start their own families,” he stated.
The overall population of wild dogs, which are native to Africa, is declining, although there are fewer than 7,000 of them left in the wild.
