Zoo welcomes female maned wolf

Lua the maned wolf has arrived in Paignton Zoo

A new maned wolf has been welcomed to Paignton Zoo.

The zoo said Lua was currently in quarantine, while being on show to the public, but that she would soon join their male maned wolf named Tolock.

Paignton Zoo is run by Wild Planet Trust, a charitable organisation that helps to reduce extinction in the UK and abroad.

Owen Taylor, curator of mammals at Paignton Zoo, said: “Maned wolves used to be found in many countries across South America but now they are almost extinct in Uruguay and near-threatened in several other locations."

Maned wolves are part of their own genus, Chrysocyon

The main threat to maned wolves is loss of habitat, with grasslands being turned into farmland.

Mr Taylor added: "We hope that Lua’s arrival will encourage more people to find out about this fascinating species.”

Paignton Zoo said that maned wolves were not wolves or foxes but were part of their own genus, Chrysocyon.

Maned wolves are shy and secretive animals and use a variety of different vocalisations to communicate, the zoo added.

They said that they also communicate through scent marking and that their scent could be smelt throughout the zoo.