Painted Dogs Debut at The Wilds

A litter of six endangered painted dog puppies have begun making their public debuts at the Wilds.

The pups were born in December. After weeks of being cared for by their mother and the other pack members, the pups have begun exploring the publicly visible areas of the wilds property.

The Wilds director of animal management said The Wilds has managed painted dogs for years, but this is the first successful litter.

Painted dogs are also known as African Wild Dogs and are one of the country’s most endangered species. Researchers estimate only 6,600 are left in their native regions of Saharan Africa.

Population decline is due to habitat fragmentation, conflict with human activities and infectious disease