ABILENE, Texas — A new maned wolf pup, Lyra, was introduced by the Abilene Zoo Thursday morning.
Lyra was born Dec. 18 to first-time parents Vega and Henry, the zoo said. Lyra and her mother, Vega, are enjoying bonding time together off-exhibit, but visitors will be able to get a peek at the new pup by mid-March.
“This is very exciting, it’s our first maned wolf puppy born in four years. We celebrated the first-ever AZA International Maned Wolf Day a few months ago and we were all secretly hoping for puppies,” Zoo Curator Robert Trejo said. “Maned wolves live 12 to 15 years under our care, so at 10 years old, Henry is middle-aged. Given his age, we weren’t sure his bloodline would continue. It makes this birth extra exciting knowing that Henry’s bloodline will continue.”
Lyra is named after the Lyra constellation, a nod to her mother’s name "Vega", which is the brightest star in the Lyra constellation. Despite being a first-time dad, the zoo said Henry played a remarkably involved role in the birth, a rare occurrence in the world of maned wolves.
Vega and Henry are separated right now as Lyra learns how to walk and continues to nurse for the next three to four weeks. Towards the end of February Vega and Henry will be reunited to continue raising Lyra together.
Abilene Zoo Director, Jesse Pottebaum, said “Abilene Zoo has been working to protect maned wolves, which are listed as a near-threatened species. Maned wolves are an AZA SAFE species, meaning they are one of the many species AZA-accredited institutions, like Abilene Zoo, are working to save from extinction.”
Spring Break in March will be the time to see Lyra, but visitors can see Henry out on exhibit daily at the zoo.
