Wolf pups a first for wildlife park

A wildlife park is celebrating the arrival of its first European wolf pups.

The litter was born at Wingham Wildlife Park (WWP) and staff say the babies and their mother, Dakota, are doing well.

“When animals have their first babies it can always be a bit of a worrying time,” said Tony Binskin, managing director of WWP. Do they know how to socialise them? Will they know how to make their own den? Will they know to use their artificial den if they don’t?

“There are so many variables which can potentially go wrong.

“We are really pleased with how she is doing with the pups.”

Dakota, who came to the park with her sister Arya from France in 2013, later joined by male wolf Raksha, has made a den for her four pups using a fallen tree as a barrier.

Park curator Markus Wilder said: “They all have their eyes open already and are moving around really well.

“When Dakota first made her den, it was quite shallow, but we can see now why she has been excavating it more – making it deeper and steeper.

“While she is doing really well, it’s obviously also a bit of a learning curve for her.”

The pups are one litter of only five born for the European wolf in captivity in the past 12 months worldwide.

The European wolf, a subspecies of the grey wolf, which used to be the world’s most widely distributed mammal, is now extinct in the UK, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland.

The pups are not yet on display while their mother keeps them underground but staff say it will not be long before visitors can see them.

Wingham Wildlife Park has welcomed its first-ever European wolf pups

Dakota gave birth to the pups