For those of you looking for an update on the Cincinnati Zoo’s painfully adorable African wild dog pups (which I assume to be everybody with a soul): You’re in luck. In addition to remaining cute and awesome (despite somewhat sizeable growth spurts all around), they’re also swimming now. In groups. Adorably.
Seemingly playing a synchronized dog version of sharks and minnows, a large swath of the herd can be seen in the video above doggy-paddling their way across the pool of their enclosure. “That is too much!” says a woman off screen, (probably) in response to seeing the multiple sets of massive ears bobbing along the water. And she’s right, it almost is too much.
As a reminder, African wild dogs, or painted dogs (or Cape hunting dogs), are endangered canines native to the plains of sub-Saharan Africa. Highly intelligent and monogomous creatures, they operate as a family unit, caring for one another immensely and using advanced communication skills to hunt as a pack.
We can now also add leisurely swims to the list of things that they do well as a group.
