A Litter of Teeny Tiny African Painted Dog Puppies Emerge Noisily From Their Den for the First Time

While at the & Beyond Camp on the South African side of Kruger National Park, wildlife photographer Morkel Erasmus of Wild Eye SA captured incredibly beautiful photos and a sweet video of an African painted dog bringing her teeny-tiny pups out from their warm den and into the world for the very first time.

A moment of serendipity – as a litter of African Wild Dog (Painted Dog) puppies come out of their den for the first time at @andbeyondsafari Ngala. The work that the EWT @knpwilddogs do in the Greater Kruger is crucial for the South African metapopulation of these highly endangered predators…

A photo posted by Morkel Erasmus (@morkelerasmus) on

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.