Woburn Safari Park welcomes new bush dogs

Keepers at Woburn Safari Park have welcomed two bush dogs to the Park for the first time in its history.

The adorable new arrivals are now based in Woburn’s latest state-of-the-art enclosure, the Cachorro Range in the Foot Safari, where lucky visitors can spot them exploring their new home.

Born in 2015, the two young canines travelled from other wildlife collections (Chester Zoo and Le Pal in central France) and have been paired at Woburn Safari Park in the hope that they’ll settle down and have a new family of their own at the Park.

Viv and Vinnie are now living in the ‘Cachorro Range’ enclosure in the Foot Safari, next door to another recent update at the park –new enclosure ‘Chelonia Pathways’ - home of the Aldabra giant tortoises.

The names given to bush dogs Viv (short for Genevieve) and Vinnie, and the name given to their new home ‘Cachorro Range’ are all in recognition of the nickname bush dogs are given in Central and South America ‘Cachorro Vinagre’.

This translates to ‘vinegar dog’, because the species in the wild has been known to give off a vinegar-like aroma.

The enclosure features indoor and outdoor viewing platforms for visitors, who’ll get a great view of the duo.

Two fully insulated houses where Vinnie and Viv benefit from underfloor heating for extra warmth, as well as separate areas for alone time should they so choose.

The bush dogs have webbed feet and are semi-aquatic, so their specially designed enclosure caters for their love of water, with a pool and waterfall for swimming.