COAL VALLEY, Ill. — The Niabi Zoo announced a new enclosure featuring three African painted dogs Friday.
This is the first time the zoo has hosted this keystone species. The enclosure was built with funds from an Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity Tourism grant, Rock Island County ARPA funds and a grant from the Carver Charitable Trust, along with donations from the community.
African painted dogs are native to the grasslands of East Africa and are highly intelligent. They fill the same ecological niche as North American wolves — and like wolves, they have been heavily hunted by humans and are now an endangered species, according to the Niabi Zoo.
Zoo Director Lee Jackson said the zoo is excited to introduce these animals to the Quad Cities.
"We are proud to be able to share this beautiful species with the community and tell its story," Jackson wrote in a press release. "Niabi has been working with conservationists in Africa who are on the front line of painted dog research for several years now."
The Niabi Zoo is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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