*Poster's Note: Although Maned Wolves are not truly wolves, the fact that most people think they are is reason enough for me to include this piece written about them. Aside from that, any good news concerning anything remotely concerning any wolves, real or not, is worthy of sharing. May we all hear good news soon about our own beloved Canis lupus.*
Two young wolves areexploring the Denver Zoo yard for the first time this weekend. (Courtesy of Denver Zoo)
The new arrivals have been at the zoo since September and they're exploring the yard of the Wolf Pack Woods exhibit this weekend for the first time, zoo officials announced in a media release.
Inigo, the male, comes from the Texas' Abilene Zoo, where he was born in December of 2011.
Adrianna comes from Springfield, Missouri's Dickerson Park Zoo. She was born at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, near Glen Rose, Texas, in February 2012.
The pair came to the Denver Zoo as part of a Species Survival Plan (SSP) recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which ensures healthy populations and genetic diversity among zoo animals.
So far, the duo are getting along well, zookeepers say. "Maned wolves resemble red foxes with long legs. Despite their reddish coloring and general appearance they are not related to foxes and despite their name, they are not members of the wolf family," the release said.
Standing about three feet tall at the shoulder, the maned wolf is the largest wild dog of South America. In the wild, maned wolves roam the grasslands and scrub forests of Brazil, northern Argentina, Paraguay, eastern Bolivia and southeastern Peru. They do not howl; they do, however, bark, growl or whine depending on the situation, the release said.
Their wild population is estimated at less than 23,600, and they've been classified as "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Denver Zoo is home to 3,600 animals representing more than 600 species
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