A pair of young Aussie larrikins on walkabout have charmed the crowds at Wellington Zoo.
The zoo welcomed a pair of young dingoes on Christmas Eve, and yesterday the dogs - who are the only pure-bred dingoes in New Zealand padded around for the first time, under the control of their keepers.
"It was a pretty good Christmas present," guide Oli du Bern said. Caroline Colgan, a zoo educator, came in on her day off to check them out. "They're beautiful, they're really cool," she said.
The five-month-olds are being walked outside their enclosure so the public can get close to them. Children were kept away, but keeper Paul Horton said there was no risk involved in the walkabouts. "Absolutely none. We are going to make sure nothing can happen."
Two years ago Wellington Zoo was criticised for allowing two young cheetahs to star at private functions, for a price. But Mr du Bern said the dingoes' walkabouts would give them valuable stimulus.
"It's good for the dingoes and it's good for the public."
With feet too big for their bodies, the young dingoes checked out the interesting sights and smells of their new home.
The pair a male called TT and female called Solo were raised at the Australian Dingo Foundation in Victoria.
TT stands for Teletubby.
"Apparently when he was a puppy he was a bit chunky," Mr Horton said.
The zoo will probably rename the pair after a competition for visitors.
They had kept their wild streak, Mr Horton said. "Any domestic dog with the amount of handling they've had would be very tame by now.
"But they're still quite wild. You'll never get that out of them."
Like any adolescents, the dingoes were nervous about moving home.
TT was especially skittish, cringeing at an eruption of shrieks from the nearby chimpanzee enclosure, while Solo was more confident. But back home TT was the boss, Mr Horton said.
"In the den, the male is more confident, but out here, it's the female, so it kind of turns the tables."
