ROYAL OAK, Mich., June 7, 2007 – Visitors to the Detroit Zoo can experience puppy love in a wild new way with the arrival of African wild dogs.  Five-year-old sisters Nata and Ngami moved to Detroit from the Oklahoma City Zoo and took up residence today in the Zoo’s African Grasslands between the zebras and warthogs.

“Not only will the dogs be fun for our visitors to watch, they are also part of an important captive conservation program,” said Scott Carter, the Detroit Zoological Society’s Director of Conservation and Animal Welfare.  “We’re excited to be a part of the conservation program for this critically endangered species.”

African wild dogs, also known as "painted dogs,” have mottled fur in shades of black, brown and tan.  They are about the size of a medium domestic dog, weighing between 40 and 80 pounds and measuring 25 to 30 inches high.  They have large, rounded ears and differ from wolves and other dogs in that they have four toes on each foot instead of five. 

African wild dogs are found in the grasslands, savannahs, and open woodlands in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.  In their native region, they are persecuted as agricultural pests by farmers.  They are considered endangered due to habitat loss and diseases spread by domestic animals.  

African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus, are at the top of the grasslands food chain, and skillfully work in packs to bring down animals such as antelope, zebras, wildebeest, gazelles and impala.   Their Zoo fare consists of a commercially prepared meat diet, with beef bones and other “treat foods” offered weekly.

The addition of African wild dogs is one of many enhancements to the Detroit Zoo’s African Grasslands, home to African species from A to Z – including aardvarks, giraffes, white rhinos and zebras – as well as several species of African birds.  In May, two female warthogs made their debut at the African Grasslands, marking the first time ever that warthogs have called the Detroit Zoo home. 

The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo.  Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak.  The Detroit Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October – with extended hours until 8 p.m. Wednesdays during July and August – and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March.  Admission is $11.00 for adults 13 to 61, $9.00 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7.00 for children ages 2 to 12; children under 2 are free.  For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit www.detroitzoo.org.  The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March, and provides educational programming with interpretive staff support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.  For more information, call (313) 852-4056. 
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