FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) -- The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo announced the arrival of seven dingo puppies on January 30th. The parents of the puppies are the Zoo’s resident Dingo’s Naya and Mattie. 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.
The puppies are currently nesting in a box and have not opened their eyes. The parents Mattie and Naya are one of only about 75 pairs of pure dingoes worldwide. Dingoes have been hybridized with domestic dogs so to have seven new additions to the species is a significant event.
Also significant in the birth of seven dingo pups is the number and color of the pups. Most dingo litters have three or four pups and the litter contains every color of dingo. From three ginger colored, two cream colored and two black and tan pups. Ninety percent of wild dingoes are ginger colored, eight percent are black and tan and only two percent are cream colored.
Zoo officials are unsure how many of the pups will be in the Australian Adventure exhibit when the zoo opens on April 21, because some of the pups could move to other . “No matter how many pups are on display, the dingo exhibit will be action-packed this summer,” says Kirchner.
The zoo opens for the 2012 season on April 21.
