A mother’s love knows no limits or species.
A Golden Retriever named Kassy has been raising a pack of endangered African wild dog puppies along with her own babies inside an Indiana zoo, and she stepped forward when it became clear that her birth mother couldn’t do it.
“Kassy and her cubs arrived at the zoo the day after the painted cubs were born,” the Potawatomi Zoo said in a statement.
“Kassy immediately accepted the painted dog puppies and began caring for them as if they were her own.”
The zoo, located about 150 miles north of Indianapolis, announced last week that eight of the colorfully spotted babies were born to mother Bleu and father Maurice on Sept. 28, an extraordinary event captured by staff’s remote cameras. .
Thanks to human extermination, disease and habitat loss, fewer than 5,000 of these extremely rare and beautiful mosaic dogs, known as African Painted Dogs, remain.
However, excitement over the rare birth quickly deteriorated when, within just 12 hours, it became clear that the zoo’s pride of three “could not successfully raise the cubs.”
“Bleu, an inexperienced mother, was not caring for her cubs as she should and Maurice was following suit,” the zoo said.
Kassy the Golden Retriever raised a pack of African Painted puppies alongside her own blonde-haired babies. Potawatomi Zoo
According to officials, even their third African Painted Dog, Bleu’s sister Colby, refused to recognize the big-eared pups.
“In the wild, African Painted Dogs live in large packs with unique social dynamics and vocalizations. The success of a litter depends on the entire pack, as all adult dogs help feed and raise the puppies. “The success of calving and the likelihood of raising live pups can be threatened if the pack does not work together as it should.”
Despite officials’ best efforts to maintain a hands-off attitude, it became clear that the eight newborns, integral to the species’ population growth, would quickly die without intervention.
Kassy served as a surrogate mother after Bleu, Maurice and Colby refused to care for the newborns. Potawatomi Zoo/Facebook “Kassy immediately accepted the painted dog pups and began nursing and caring for them as if they were her own,” the zoo said. Potawatomi Zoo/Facebook The survival of an African painted cub depends on the pack working together to raise it. Potawatomi Zoo
The zoo scrambled to find a substitute house dog to nurse the cubs, a recommendation from experts to avoid bottle feeding and keep the newborns within a canine social structure.
Within a few hours, the animal care community brought in Kassy, along with her new litter of golden puppies and milk to share, and the blended family was born.
“During their first four weeks of life, successfully raising the painted dog puppies brought hardships and disappointments… As is common with baby animals, some of the painted dog puppies were not strong enough to survive, despite of the dedicated attention of Kassy and the zoo staff gave them to them, but three did,” the zoo said.
Only three of the eight African painted cubs survived the month after birth. Potawatomi Zoo
They don’t have a name yet, but they call the surviving puppies Blue, Red and Orange.
Babies who grow quickly are extremely playful, curious and are on the path to a healthy life, which on average lasts a decade.
The zoo is in the process of creating a new home for the siblings next to their parents’ exhibit. Unfortunately, the puppies will not integrate with their birth family for some time because Bleu, Maurice and Colby did not “show adequate positive interest in the puppies.” But officials said they plan to try again in the future.
Bleu, Maurice and Colby “did not show adequate positive interest in the puppies” in the weeks after their birth. Potawatomi Zoo
“It has been an emotionally exhausting and challenging journey for the team, but the zoo’s mission is to work for the preservation of wild species,” the zoo said.
“Sometimes the path is simple and other times extraordinary measures are needed. “These three active, healthy cubs are just the beginning of this story, and the zoo looks forward to sharing more positive updates on their milestones in the future.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn