Posted September 20, 2019 in New Arrivals
Meet the new additions to the family!
On the 30th July the animal care team heard the recognisable squeaks of bush dog pups and found two tiny pups cuddled up with mum Nina!
Since then the pups have grown in size and confidence and can now been seen regularly outside exploring with the rest of the family. Dad Nico has also been extremely attentive, helping Nina with their expanding family!
The duo have been named Quetzal and Qwiggly by their keepers and join their 6 older siblings, Oakley, Ozara and Octavia who were born in early 2018 followed by Pip, Pele and Pablo who were born just before Christmas 2018! All 6 of their older siblings have taken an interest in the youngsters and have been learning the ropes from mum and dad on how to care for them.
See our pups at 6 weeks old as they begin to explore their new home in the video below:
Bush dogs are a rare and unusual canid, with short legs, a short bushy tail, a rounded muzzle and ears, and webbed feet!
The birth of the pups is extremely important to Colchester Zoo and the breeding programme as this species is currently Classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
Our bush dog family can be seen from the bridge at our Lost Madagascar Express Station.
