A mother’s love knows no boundaries — or species.
A Golden Retriever named Kassy has raised a group of endangered African wildebeest pups with her own babies in an Indiana zoo, all the more so when their birth mothers can’t make it.
“Kassy and her cubs arrived at the Zoo the day after the painted pups were born,” the Potawatomi Zoo said in a statement.
“Kassy immediately accepted the painted puppies and began to nurture and care for them like she would her own.”
The zoo, located about 150 miles north of Indianapolis, announced last week that eight of the colorful spotted babies were born to mother Bleu and father Maurice on Sept. 28, an extraordinary event captured on staff remote cameras.
Thanks to human extermination, disease and habitat loss, there are less than 5,000 of the extremely rare and beautiful mosaic dog – referred to as African painted.
The excitement of the rare birth quickly waned, however, when it became clear within 12 hours that the group of three zoos “would not be able to raise puppies.”
“Bleu, an inexperienced mother, did not take care of her young the way she should have, and Maurice followed her instructions,” the zoo said.
Kassy the Golden Retriever is raising a pack of African painted puppies along with her own blond baby. Potawatomi Zoo
According to officials, even their third African-painted dog, Colby, Bleu’s sister, refused to acknowledge the big-eared pup.
“In the wild, African painted dogs live in large packs with unique social dynamics and vocalizations. The success of the litter depends on the entire pack, as all adult dogs help feed and raise their young. Birth success and the possibility of raising live puppies can be threatened if the pack doesn’t work together as it should.”
Despite officials’ best efforts to maintain a hands-off approach, it’s clear that the eight newborns – crucial to the species’ population growth – will quickly perish without intervention.
Kassy served as a surrogate mother after Bleu, Maurice and Colby refused to care for the newborn. Potawatomi Zoo/Facebook “Kassy immediately accepted the painted puppies and began to nurture and care for them like she would her own,” the zoo said. Potawatomi Zoo/Facebook African painted pups’ survival depends on the pack working together to raise them. Potawatomi Zoo
Zoos are scrambling to find replacement domestic dogs to nurse the puppies, experts recommend avoiding bottle-feeding and keeping newborns within the canine social structure.
Within hours, the animal care community brought in Kassy, along with her new golden puppy and milk to share, and the blended family was born.
“During the first four weeks of their lives, the success of raising painted puppies comes with difficulties and frustrations … As is always the case with baby animals, some of the painted puppies were not strong enough to survive, despite the special attention Kassy and the Zoo staff gave them, but three did ,” the zoo said.
Only three of the eight African painted pups survived the month after birth. Potawatomi Zoo
They haven’t been named yet, but they call the surviving pups Blue, Red and Orange.
Rapidly developing babies are playful, curious and on their way to a healthy life, which on average spans a decade.
The zoo is in the process of creating a new home for the siblings next to their parent exhibit. unfortunately the puppies will not be integrated with their biological family for some time as Bleu, Maurice and Colby fail to “exhibit an appropriate positive interest in the puppies.” But officials say they plan to try again in the future.
Bleu, Maurice and Colby “did not show an appropriate positive interest in the puppies” in the weeks after their birth. Potawatomi Zoo
“It has been an exhausting and emotionally challenging journey for the team, but it is the Zoo’s mission to work towards the preservation of wild species,” the zoo said.
“Sometimes the journey is smooth and sometimes it takes extraordinary steps. These three healthy and active pups are just the beginning of this story, and the Zoo looks forward to sharing more positive updates about their achievements in the future.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
