Hyderabad: Nehru Zoological Park achieves first successful breeding of Indian Wolves

Hyderabad’s Nehru Zoological Park has successfully bred Indian Wolves for the first time, with five pups born recently. The milestone adds to nearly 40 animal births this year, as the zoo expands conservation and introduces new bloodlines to prevent inbreeding

Hyderabad: For the first time since its inception, the city zoo has successfully bred Indian Wolves, marking a significant achievement in wildlife breeding and conservation efforts.

The city zoo recently had a litter of five wolf pups. So far, the pups have been kept behind the scenes for their development and growth besides bonding with their parents. They will be released for display after the zoo’s veterinary department gives a nod.

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“Our breeding efforts are reaping good results. We have successfully bred Indian Wolves for the first time in Nehru Zoological Park,” Telangana Zoo Parks Director Dr Sunil S Hiremath told ‘Telangana Today’.

Overall, the NZP has made good progress with respect to breeding and conservation of wildlife. Between April 2024 and March 2025, the zoo population went up with around 80 new births including White Tigers, Black Bucks, Sambar Deer, Nilgai and Four-Horned Antelope. Since April this year, nearly 40 births including those of White Tigers, Bengal Tigers, Indian Wolves, Hog Deer, Golden Jackals, Asian Palm Civets have happened at the zoo.

Apart from enhancing the population of the endangered species, the zoo’s breeding programme is aimed at changing the bloodline of the animals. To prevent the risk of inbreeding and genetic disorders, the NZP, as part of animal exchange programmes with other zoos, introduced new bloodlines.

For instance, the Asiatic Lion in the zoo suffers from hind leg paralysis during cold weather due to inbreeding from the same region.

“We are taking steps to ensure that there is no inbreeding that could cause issues in animals as they grow up,” a senior official said.