The Łódź Zoo (Polish: Miejski Ogród Zoologiczny w Łodzi) is a zoological garden in the city of Łódź established in 1938. It is the home to 2,245 animals, representing 667 species, including endangered Asiatic lions. Now, the first pair of the bush dog species joined the collection of the zoo.
The male bush dog Chip traveled from the Czech Republic to Łódź a few months ago to be a new companion of the female bush dog called Tequila. Bush dogs are found from Costa Rica in Central America and through much of South America east of the Andes, as far south as central Bolivia, Paraguay, and southern Brazil. They live in forest areas near water reservoirs. In addition, they are excellent swimmers, thanks to the swim membrane between the fingers.
Bush dogs are carnivorous and will hunt together as a pack to bring down large rodents such as agouti, capybara and even rhea! They are also known to eat smaller rodents, lizards and birds. Bush dogs are social animals that live in family groups that are led by an alpha pair. They are most active during the day. (woburnsafari.co.uk)
The International Union for Conservation of Nature describes this species as a near-threatened species, hence there is a need to put much effort into the breeding process of the bush dogs in captivity. In nature, the population of this species is constantly declining. The main reason for the decrease is the loss of habitats and the insufficient food base caused by poaching. Diseases spread by feral domestic dogs are also a problem.