Dholes have returned to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The move will provide space for the Safari Parks growing dhole population. Previously they were living at the park’s offsite breeding centre. Now they have a three acre habitat across which they can roam.
Seven males, including Sanuk shown in the below photo, and a female now call the park home.
This species is a wild dog native to eastern and southern Asia. They roam from Siberia down to the Malay Peninsula. They are also known as the Asiatic wild dog, red dog or whistling dog. These athletic dogs are also fast runners, impressive jumpers and great at swimming.
They have a a range of vocalisations which are not exhibited by any other canids. These include an eerie whistle, clucks and high pitched screams.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists this species as endangered. Luckily the Safari Park has had great success in breeding the species. Currently they house the largest group in managed care throughout the U.S. with 20 dholes.
Only two parks have successfully bred the Chinese dhole. Twenty dholes have been born at the park since 2003. The latest lot of four was born just 12 weeks ago at the off-site breeding centre.
Photo Credit: Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo Safari Park
