Before keepers at Chester Zoo saw Molly’s newborn pups, they heard them. Staff gave the four-year-old mother space after she delivered inside one of three dens, leaving them unsure how many pups were hidden with her. Their first hint came from a chorus of high-pitched chirps that sounded more like young birds than wild canines.
About a month later, five pups had begun venturing outside with Molly, their father, Charlie, and their older siblings nearby. They make up the only bush dog litter born in the U.K. this year (2026).
"At this stage, they're just little furry potatoes. They toddle around a bit, but mostly they huddle together in a pile,” Richard Tyson, carnivore keeper at Chester Zoo, said in a press release.
A Bush Dog Family Raises Five New Pups
The older bush dogs have already started trying to help with their new siblings, although their stumpy bodies make carrying the pups difficult. Instead of lifting them, they sometimes bump the youngsters along the ground until their squeaks bring Molly over to intervene. Charlie has also remained watchful around the litter.
A bush dog carries a pup.
(Image Courtesy of ©Chester Zoo)
Their interest reflects the way bush dogs raise young in the wild. According to Chester Zoo, bush dogs live in extended families in which relatives outside the breeding pair guard, groom, and carry pups. Males also bring food to mothers while they stay in the den.
Explore All OptionsEach of the five pups weighed only about 4 to 5 ounces (120 to 150 grams) at birth, roughly as much as a small can of sardines. They still spend much of their time pressed together, and over the next few weeks, keepers will introduce them to small pieces of chicken and rabbit as they begin transitioning to solid food.
How Bush Dogs Survive as a Pack
Bush dogs are wild canines found across the Amazon basin and other parts of South America. They stand only about 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 centimeters) tall, with short legs and partially webbed feet that help them swim and cross muddy ground.
A pup follows an adult.
(Image Courtesy of ©Chester Zoo)
Family groups can include as many as 12 animals, and members sleep close together, share food, and follow one another through their habitat. When hunting, a pack may drive prey toward water or waiting relatives, allowing the animals to overpower prey larger than any one bush dog could manage alone.
Bush dogs can be shy, but they use a range of vocalizations to remain in contact and warn one another of danger. The bird-like calls that first alerted Chester’s keepers to the pups are an early version of the communication that will help them move through life as a family.
Why the Bush Dog Pups Matter
Bush dogs occupy forests, wetlands, savannas, and grasslands across a wide geographical area, yet there aren’t a lot of them left in many of those places. Chester Zoo lists the species as Near Threatened and reports that wild populations have declined by more than 25 percent over 12 years.
Habitat conversion for agriculture, including soy production in Brazil, has reduced and fragmented some of the landscapes bush dogs depend on. Hunting, declining prey populations, and diseases transmitted by domestic dogs and other canines add more pressure.
Chester Zoo works with conservation partners in Latin America to monitor wildlife and examine how soy farming affects animals in Brazil. Its teams have captured wild bush dogs on camera traps while surveying the region.
Two bush dog pups.
(Image Courtesy of ©Chester Zoo)
The new pups also belong to a European breeding program intended to preserve genetic diversity among bush dogs in human care. Twenty-five pups have been born across Europe in 2026, with the Chester litter accounting for one-fifth of them.
As the five pups follow their family beyond the den, keepers hope their first public appearances will introduce more people to a wild canine they might otherwise never encounter — and to the challenges its relatives face in South America.
Article Sources
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- This article references information from Chester Zoo: Bush dog
