An Australian family accidentally discovered a small sensation in their backyard: what looked like a puppy turned out to be a purebred dingo a little later.
Wandiligong – The little puppy whimpered loudly in his future family’s backyard until they finally spotted him and took him to their home. The Australians initially assumed that the puppy was simply a stray (*FR reported) – but far from it. The longer they dealt with the foundling, the more they doubted that he really is a dog .
His appearance seemed somehow unusual for a dog . When their doubts persisted, the family decided to visit a local veterinarian. Doctor Rebekah Day sent the enigmatic pup to Alpine Animal Hospital . There the genome of the puppy was examined, the results of which were evaluated by the University of New South Wales.
Dingo pup: DNA sensation a lucky find for scientists
Because the little pup resembled a dingo , the Australian Dingo Foundation insisted on having its DNA tested. In fact, it turned out that the animal is a dingo , as reported by focus.de . The special thing about him is that he is a purebred dingo – an exception, because there are many dog-dingo hybrids living in Australia . According to dw.com , researchers believe dingoes have been native to Australia for more than 3,000 years. In all likelihood, dingoes descended from domestic dogs* and were brought to the Australian continent by seafarers from Asia.
What makes the family’s find even more incredible is the fact that the pup is an Australian alpine dingo – according to the Australia and Pacific Science Foundation it is critically endangered . The Australian Dingo Foundation is all the more pleased about this spectacular find, because they are committed to protecting wild dogs . Foundation chair Lyn Watson said in an interview with CNN that the little dingo is used in the organization’s breeding program to protect the endangered dingo species. * FR.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editorial network.
