Fall 2021 Children's Sneak Previews

Young Girl Significantly Injured In Dingo Attack At K'gari A Week After 7-year-old Chased By Wild Dog On Tourist Island

A primary school aged girl has been bitten on her legs and buttocks by a dingo on the popular tourist island of K'gari (formerly known as Fraser Island).

The young girl sustained significant injuries after being attacked by the wild dog at Hook Point on Friday at about 12:30pm.

She was taken by barge to Inskip Point, where paramedics were waiting to transport her to Gympie Hospital.

It comes a week after a young girl was left with puncture wounds after a dingo chased her at Hook Point.

The seven-year-old's family was in a car waiting for a boat on January 4, when her mum stepped out of the vehicle to snap some photos of a dingo.

The girl followed her mum and the dingo approached the terrified girl. She started to run away, but the dingo caught up to her and bit her on the thigh.

A dingo also bit a 12-year-old knee-boarder at Eurong on K'gari on December 22.

The wild dog came out of the bushland and attacked his knee, leaving him with scratches and bruises.

Rangers are currently investigating all three incidents and will attempt to identify the dingos involved.

This Golden Retriever Is Nursing 3 African Painted Dog Pups At A Zoo Because Their Own Mother Wouldn't Care For Them

An Indiana zoo recently welcomed a litter of endangered African painted dogs. Only three survived thanks to an unlikely surrogate mother. While African painted dogs usually live with a pack of like-minded predators in the wild, the canine that is taking care of them at the zoo is a golden retriever.

Potawatomi Zoo announced last week that eight pups were born at the zoo in September. But their parents, Bleu and Maurice, were not caring for the babies, the South Bend zoo said in a news release.

"Within 12 hours of the puppies' birth at the Potawatomi Zoo, the Animal Care team could tell that the pack would not be able to successfully raise the puppies," the zoo said. "Bleu, an inexperienced mother, was not caring for her pups the way she should have, and Maurice was following her lead."

So the zoo's staff consulted professionals that help develop breeding plans for African painted dogs in the U.S. There are less than 7,000 adult painted dogs in the wild and they are considered endangered due to human-wildlife conflict, habitat fragmentation and disease, the zoo says.

The three surviving painted dog pups born at Potawatomi Zoo. Potawatomi Zoo

The staff at zoos usually try to remain hands-off so packs can raise pups like they do in the wild. This is usually successful, and pups get to "learn the complex social structure of their species," the zoo says.

But in this case, the group determined the staff would have to hand-raise the litter – with the help of another animal.

Instead of bottle feeding the pups, the group recommended finding a surrogate dog to help nurse them, since they are usually raised in a canine social structure. 

The Indiana Council for Animal Welfare connected the zoo with a golden retriever named Kassy who had recently given birth and was producing milk that she could feed to the painted dog pups, too. 

Kassy came to the zoo with her own puppies and immediately took in the painted dog pups as her own.

Kassy nurses the litter of painted dogs along with her own puppies. Potawatomi Zoo

While she began to nurse the pups, the first week of their lives was "difficult," and the care team worked 24 hours a day, the zoo said. 

"As is common with baby animals, some of the of the painted dog pups weren't strong enough to survive, despite the dedicated attention Kassy and the Zoo staff gave them, but three did," the zoo said.

They aren't named yet, but they are calling the surviving pups Blue, Red, and Orange — the colors used to track them since birth.

The zoo is creating a home for the three pups next to the adult painted dogs at the zoo. They decided against integrating them with the other painted dogs because the older ones "didn't display suitable positive interest in the puppies, so the plan was changed." They plan is to reintegrate them with others when they get older.

"It has been an emotionally exhausting and challenging journey for the team, but it is the Zoo's mission to work toward the preservation of wild species," the zoo said. "Sometimes the journey is smooth and sometimes it takes extraordinary measures. These three healthy, active pups are just the start of this story, and the Zoo hopes to share more positive updates of their milestones in the future."

Kassy's growing litter required round-the-clock care from the team at Potawatomi Zoo. Potawatomi Zoo

Also known as African wild dogs or African painted wolves, this species is native to sub-Saharan Africa and lives in big family groups that are led by a dominant male and female, according to the zoo. 

They are small – about 29 to 43 inches long – but they can run up to 44 miles per hour hunt bigger prey like antelope, according to International Fund for Animal Welfare. They work together with their pack to coordinate hunts, and they're successful at it, with 60% of their hunts ending in catches.

Now at 11 weeks old, the pups are thriving under Kassy's care. 

"We're looking forward to getting them in their own space where they can learn to be painted dogs from their family," the zoo said.

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MoreCaitlin O'Kane

Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.

Golden Retriever Raising Pack Of Endangered African Wild Pups Alongside Her Own Babies At Indiana Zoo

A mother's love knows no bounds — or species.

A Golden Retriever named Kassy has been raising a pack of endangered African wild dog pups alongside her own babies inside an Indiana zoo, stepping up when it became clear their biological mother couldn't.

"Kassy and her puppies arrived at the Zoo the day after the painted dog puppies were born," the Potawatomi Zoo said in a statement.

"Kassy immediately accepted the painted dog puppies and began to nurse and care for them like they were her own."

The zoo, located about 150 miles north of Indianapolis, announced last week that eight of the colorfully splotched babies were born to mother Bleu and father Maurice on Sept. 28, an extraordinary event caught on the staff's remote cameras.

Thanks to human extermination, disease and loss of habitat, there are less than 5,000 of the extremely rare and beautiful mosaic dogs — referred to as African-painted.

The excitement of the rare birth quickly deteriorated, however, when it became clear within just 12 hours that the zoo's pack of three "would not be able to successfully raise the puppies."

"Bleu, an inexperienced mother, was not caring for her pups the way she should have, and Maurice was following her lead," the zoo said.

Kassy the Golden Retriever raised a pack of African-painted pups alongside her own blonde-haired babies. Potawatomi Zoo

According to officials, even their third African-painted dog Colby, Bleu's sister, refused to acknowledge the big-eared pups.

"In the wild, African painted dogs live in large packs with unique social dynamics and vocalizations. The success of a litter depends on the entire pack, as all adult dogs help to feed and raise the pups. The success of the birth and the likelihood of raising live puppies can be jeopardized if the pack doesn't work together as they should."

Despite officials' best efforts to maintain a hands-off approach, it became clear the eight newborns — integral to the growth of the species' population — would quickly perish without intervention.

Kassy served as a surrogate mother after Bleu, Maurice and Colby refused to take care of the newborns. Potawatomi Zoo/Facebook "Kassy immediately accepted the painted dog puppies and began to nurse and care for them like they were her own," the zoo said. Potawatomi Zoo/Facebook The survival of an African painted pup depends on the pack working together to raise it. Potawatomi Zoo

The zoo raced to find a surrogate domestic dog to nurse the pups, a recommendation by experts to avoid bottle-feeding and to keep the newborns within a canine social structure.

Within a few hours, the animal care community brought in Kassy, along with her new litter of golden puppies and milk to share, and the blended family was born.

"Over their first four weeks of life, successfully raising the painted dog pups came with difficulties and disappointments … As is common with baby animals, some of the of the painted dog pups weren't strong enough to survive, despite the dedicated attention Kassy and the Zoo staff gave them, but three did," the zoo said.

Only three of the eight African-painted pups survived the month following birth. Potawatomi Zoo

They aren't named yet, but they are calling the surviving pups Blue, Red and Orange.

The rapidly growing babies are extremely playful, inquisitive and on the path to a healthy life, which on average spans a decade.

The zoo is in the process of creating a new home for the siblings next to their parent's exhibit. The pups unfortunately won't be integrated with their biological family for some time because Bleu, Maurice and Colby failed to "display suitable positive interest in the puppies." But officials said they plan to try again in the future.

Bleu, Maurice and Colby "didn't display suitable positive interest in the puppies" in the weeks after their birth. Potawatomi Zoo

"It has been an emotionally exhausting and challenging journey for the team, but it is the Zoo's mission to work toward the preservation of wild species," the zoo said.

"Sometimes the journey is smooth and sometimes it takes extraordinary measures. These three healthy, active pups are just the start of this story, and the Zoo hopes to share more positive updates of their milestones in the future."

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