Nasu Animal Kingdom in Japan announces the birth of two Arctic wolf pups

Meet the newest additions to Japan’s wildlife scene!

Nasu Animal Kingdom announces the birth of two adorable Arctic wolf pups, a historic milestone in conservation efforts. 

The first two Arctic wolf cubs were born at a Tokyo zoo in Tochigi Prefecture last month. It is the first time the animals have been raised from breeding done in a Japanese zoo. Nasu Animal Kingdom said the cubs, one male, and the other female, were born on 16th May. They measured about 20 centimeters long. The first Arctic wolf pups born in a Japanese zoo are seen at Nasu Animal Kingdom in Tochigi Prefecture.

The height and weight of these cute pups:

Two weeks later, the male weighed about 1,500 grams and the female about 1,350 grams. By this past Saturday, the male cub had grown to about 3,900 grams and the female to about 3,000 grams, the zoo said. It also said that visitors would be allowed to view the cubs late next month.
According to Nasu Zoo, the pups are male and female, born on May 16 to dad Azary, 5, and mom Shinra, 8. Since this was Shinra’s first time giving birth, zookeepers carefully monitored the newborns. They constantly checked their health for the first time on June 2 to see that the puppies were growing soundly.

Nasu Animal Kingdom climbed up a terrain.

It said the mother and her babies would be shown to the public from late July onwards. There is also an Arctic wolf, 5, named Sanna, at Nasu Animal Kingdom. Only this and another zoo in the city of Akita have Arctic wolves in captivity in Japan.

What are Arctic wolves like?

Also known as white wolves or polar wolves, Arctic wolves are a grey wolf subspecies roaming the vast and frozen landscape of the Arctic. Like other grey wolves, Arctic wolves are nocturnal pack animals that hunt together, follow the lead of an alpha male, and communicate by howling. They all care for the pack’s pups, taking turns to protect and feed them. Because it is such an extreme habitat, Arctic wolves also have some quite distinctive appearances and behaviours that set them apart from other grey wolves.

They’re a very small breed, and even few are bred in captivity right here in Japan. Azary arrived from a zoo in Germany in September 2020. Afterwards, Shinra followed two months later from a zoo in the Czech Republic. The Nasu Zoo has kept them together for breeding purposes.