11 Living Desert painted dog puppies now “scooting”, have new “babysitter”

The 11 painted dog puppies born at the Living Desert last month have done plenty of growing in the last few weeks, according to a 'Pupdate' put out on the Living Desert's Facebook page Thursday morning.

The 11 endangered African Wild Dogs came into the world to parents Beatrix and Kiraka on January 18. This is the duo's second litter; their first set of pups were born in April.

According to the Living Desert, the pups first handful of weeks have progress has been noteworthy, expanding beyond the standard sleeping and nursing, and expanding to "scooting and moving around the den."

"Mom, Beatrix, has begun to introduce them to the rest of the pack. This is an exciting time in the puppies’ development because until this moment, their only contact has been with her," read the post. "A subordinate dog is now allowed to guard or 'babysit' the pups while Mom leaves the den. Here at the zoo, this responsibility belongs to big sister, Mikumi. Mom is finally feeling confident enough to allow Mikumi to help with the puppies and hang out in the den. "

The pups now weigh between 2.5 and 3.5 pounds. They are now three weeks old.