New arrivals boost visitors
Keepers at Paignton Zoo are celebrating after the birth of rare maned wolf pups.
This distinct species is notoriously picky about its mates and is facing habitat loss in the wild, with only 17,000 left on the planet, mainly in South America.
Paignton is one of only three UK zoos to successfully breed them in the past year.
The parents (Tolock and Lua) had been together long before the breeding season, with keepers carefully monitoring their behaviours for months.
Cindy Nayla, a senior mammal keeper, said, "We can't believe how well-timed everything was. Almost at the exact moment the breeding guidance shifted, Luna came into heat. It felt like the perfect timing."
The tiny pups are currently sheltered in a den with both parents after being born in early November. It will take around a year until they venture out properly and gain more independence.
Your best chance to see them is either early morning or late afternoon.
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