WATCH: Adorable dingo puppies born at the Australian Reptile Park
The NSW Australian Reptile Park has just welcomed some new additions to the family - five dingo babies.
The pups were bred out of season and born to resident dingoes Adina and Fred.
Usually born in late May/early June, it seems as though Adina and Fred had a different idea, giving staff at the park an early Easter present.
The five pups will be fully reliant on their mother Adina for the next three weeks, but can be seen on display bonding with their mum in the dingo enclosure.
The Australian Reptile Park breeds their dingoes to educate Australians about the importance of the species within the eco-system, to protect them from extinction, and also to dispel the myth that the dingo is a dangerous pest.
Tim Faukner, the general manager of the Australian Reptile park said: "Adina has chosen a place to make her den in a place that is open and visible for guests to admire the pups interacting with their parents".
"In a few short weeks they will be frolicking around the yard and playing with each other, which is a highlight for visitors who watch."
“As cute as the puppies are, they play a crucial role in raising species awareness.
"The dingo plays a very important role in the Australian eco-system, Australia has the worst mammal extinction rate on earth due to habitat distribution, agriculture, and most importantly, feral foxes and cats feeding on mammals that are in the critical weight range of five kilos or less,' he said.
“Dingoes are being blasted, baited, tracked, shot and hunted in the wild because of their perceived damage to agriculture. However, killing dingoes removes them from the critical weight eco-system, allowing feral foxes and cats to continuously increase the rate of mammal extinction.”
The Australian Reptile Park is open daily from 9am till 5pm, located at Somersby on the Central Coast of New South Wales, approximately an hour from Sydney and Newcastle.
