Two cute red-shouldered trunk dogs delight at Leipzig Zoo!

Two cute red-shouldered trunk dogs delight at Leipzig Zoo!

It's simmering in the enclosures of Leipzig Zoo! Animal keeper Dana Eisenreich has experienced very special moments with the cute red-shouldered dogs in the last few weeks. She is particularly fond of little Maleficent, who moved to the zoo three months ago. The current episode of the show “Elephant, Tiger & Co” (first broadcast on May 23rd) shows Dana’s bonding relationship with the animals. Her intensive commitment, with up to three visits a day to the enclosure, is bearing fruit: Maleficent is becoming noticeably more trusting and is already listening to Dana's hand.

But that's not all, because strengthening the social bond goes hand in hand with the exciting news of the breeding success of the Red-shouldered Red-shouldered Red-shouldered Red-shouldered Rushounds. The mother, Meli, gave birth to two healthy offspring, which are now around 30 days old. These two little proboscis dogs are becoming more and more courageous outside their nest and are already taking a look at the big, exciting world outside. To determine their genders, Dana gets them used to her hand - a step that is not without challenges, as more attention is required when walking when the little ones are running around.

The newest generation at Leipzig Zoo

Recently it was announced that red-shouldered snouts have created a bit of a sensation. The newborns are well and live in a leaf-covered earth nest, indicating that they are well cared for. Their mother, young Rina, has only been at Leipzig Zoo since June and has already gotten along impressively with two-year-old Herbert, the puppies' father. Last week the zoo management officially announced the offspring. Zoo curator Ruben Holland is very pleased about this breeding success, because red-shouldered snout dogs are few and far between in European zoos.

What makes the whole thing even more exciting? This is the second set of twins to be presented in the New Birdhouse this year! After the first breeding success last year, the joy about the birth of twins is enormous. The public can look forward to the first glimpses of the sweet little ones in the coming weeks.

A rare species in danger

The red-shouldered snout belongs to an animal species that is particularly worthy of protection and has an insecure habitat. Their range is small and fragmented, and they have numerous predators such as birds of prey and snakes. Leipzig Zoo makes a valuable contribution to the preservation of this unique species and shows how important it is to raise and protect such animals.

With a lot of passion and commitment, the zoo team in Leipzig pulls out all the stops to enable the animals to live a species-appropriate life. The bond between keepers and animals as well as the successes in breeding are proof that there is a good knack for animal care here. A visit to Leipzig Zoo is definitely worth it to marvel at the new family members and find out how committed the zoo is to protecting these rarities.

You can find more details about this wonderful story at Thuringia24, Leipzig Zoo and LVZ.