Rare Endangered Maned Wolves, Diego And Dora, Born At Houston Zoo

The Houston Zoo recently announced the births of two endangered maned wolf pups.

Born Dec. 30 to mom Lucy, 6 years old and father Seis, 8 years old, the pups are being hand reared at the Houston Zoo’s Denton Cooley Animal Hospital.

“This is the first successful birth of maned wolves at the Houston Zoo in over 10 years,” said Houston Zoo Curator of Carnivores and Primates Hollie Colahan. “The pups weigh just over 5 pounds now and are being cared for around the clock by Zoo carnivore and animal hospital staff.”

The pups are fed six times each day and were just introduced to solid food last week.

The pups, Diego and Dora, were named after the lead characters in the children’s television cartoon programs Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go. Maned wolves were featured prominently in an episode of Go Diego Go.

Maned wolves are native to the grasslands, savannahs and tall grass prairies of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia. The species once thrived and ranged throughout much of South America.

Unlike other wolves that live in cooperative breeding packs, maned wolves are solitary animals. Little is known about their lives in the wild where their populations are increasingly threatened by habitat loss to agriculture.

There are less than 100 maned wolves living in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Only 17 maned wolf pups were born in 2009. Studies are in place to understand why maned wolves breed poorly. Information collected from zoo-maintained maned wolves will be used to begin thorough studies of wild populations to address the species most pressing needs in its native range.

For more information, visit the Houston Zoo at www.houstonzoo.org.