The love of a mother knows no bounds — or species.
Kassy, a Golden Retriever, has been raising a pack of endangered African wild dog pups alongside her own inside an Indiana zoo, stepping up when their biological mother couldn’t.
“Kassy and her puppies arrived at the Zoo the day after the painted dog puppies were born,” according to a statement from the Potawatomi Zoo.
“Kassy immediately accepted the painted dog puppies and began to nurse and care for them like they were her own.”
The zoo, located about 150 miles north of Indianapolis, announced last week that mother Bleu and father Maurice gave birth to eight of the colorfully splotched babies on Sept. 28, an extraordinary event captured on the staff’s remote cameras.
Kassy, the Golden Retriever, was brought in by the animal care community
Because of human extinction, disease, and habitat loss, there are fewer than 5,000 of the extremely rare and beautiful mosaic dogs known as African-painted.
However, the excitement of the unusual birth quickly faded when it became clear within 12 hours that the zoo’s pack of three “would not be able to successfully raise the puppies.”
“Bleu, an inexperienced mother, was not caring for her pups the way she should have, and Maurice was following her lead,” a statement from the zoo stated.
Officials claim that their third African-painted dog, Colby, Bleu’s sister, refused to acknowledge the big-eared puppies.
“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 to feed and raise the pups. The success of the birth and the likelihood of raising live puppies can be jeopardized if the pack doesn’t work together as they should.”
Despite officials’ best efforts to maintain a hands-off approach, it became clear that the eight newborns—vital to the species’ population growth — would perish quickly if no action was taken.
The zoo rushed to find a surrogate domestic dog to nurse the pups, despite experts’ advice to avoid bottle-feeding and keep the newborns within a canine social structure.
Within a few hours, Kassy was brought in by the animal care community, along with her new litter of golden puppies and milk to share, and the blended family was born.
“Over their first four weeks of life, successfully raising the painted dog pups came with difficulties and disappointments… As is common with baby animals, some of the painted dog pups weren’t strong enough to survive, despite the dedicated attention Kassy and the Zoo staff gave them, but three did,” the zoo said.
The zoo is building a new home for the siblings next to their parents’ exhibit
They haven’t been named yet, but the surviving pups are known as Blue, Red, and Orange.
The rapidly growing babies are extremely playful, inquisitive, and on their way to a healthy life that will last, on average, a decade.
The zoo is building a new home for the siblings next to their parents’ exhibit. Unfortunately, the puppies will not be reunited with their biological family for some time because Bleu, Maurice, and Colby did not “display suitable positive interest in the puppies.” Officials have stated that they intend to try again in the future.
“It has been an emotionally exhausting and challenging journey for the team, but it is the Zoo’s mission to work toward the preservation of wild species,” the zoo said.
“Sometimes the journey is smooth and sometimes it takes extraordinary measures. These three healthy, active pups are just the start of this story, and the Zoo hopes to share more positive updates of their milestones in the future.”
