Dingoes Arrive at Prospect Park Zoo [Video]

Man’s best friend has come to the in the form of four dingoes, newly arrived from Australia.

This is the first time that dingoes have been exhibited in a New York City zoo in 40 years and Prospect Park is one of only six zoos in the United States that have the wild dogs.

“We’re excited to be able to show them to the people of Brooklyn,” said Jeff Sailer, the Wildlife Conservation Society’s director of city zoos, at an event Thursday morning unveiling the new exhibit.

The 4,000-square-foot exhibit, includes private space and a sunroom for the dingoes as well as a grassy outdoor area for public viewing.

The four dingoes have been broken up into two self-selected pairs. Only one pair will be on display at a time to keep the males apart.

“They can be territorial,” said Denise McClean, the zoo’s director.

Cobar, a male who McClean describes as “wary,” yet “thoughtful” is paired with Daku, who is more outgoing. Their names are Aboriginal for, respectively, "burnt earth" and "sand." Binda (Aboriginal for deep water), a “shy, cautious” female, is paired with Alkira (sky) who is more carefree. “You’ll see him running around the exhibit, kind of excited about things,” McClean said. (See video in photo gallery.)

The dingoes, who are just under a year old, are already mating, and zoo officials have their fingers crossed.

“We are hoping the next time we all meet here there will be pups, perhaps,” McClean said. “Possibly by this summer,” she added later. “We’re so excited because they’re super cute.”

Dingoes are wild dogs that live in open plains and forests throughout Australia. They range in color from reddish light brown and have white patches on their paws and tip of the tail. Unlike dogs, dingoes do not bark, but they do yelp and howl.

The unveiling ceremony included a performance of the Australian “Kookaburra Song” by Brownies and Daisies from Girl Scout Troops 2614 and 2450.

“They’re cute. I really like dogs and they’re kind of like dogs,” said Caroline Mulcahy, 6, of Prospect Heights, after she finished singing.

“I thought they were pretty and really cool,” agreed Fiona Goad, 7, of Windsor Terrace. “I wish I could keep them except they might eat my dog,” a Chihuahua, she added.

The mid-size dogs primarily hunt alone or in pairs at night. They feed mainly on small animals like rabbits, wallabies, rodents, and lizards, but they will occasionally attack larger prey like kangaroos and domestic livestock. For this reason, they are fenced off from the other animals in the exhibit.

“I think it’s awesome,” said Natalie Petersson, who came to the zoo with her 6-year-old twins, Bette and Mino. She said she’s been curious about dingoes ever since she heard the line “A dingo ate my baby” in the movie “A Cry in the Dark.”

“I’ve always wanted to see one,” she said.

The dingoes are on display in the zoo’s “” which also includes three new emus, joining the elderly . The exhibit also hosts a Western gray kangaroo, several rock wallabies (including ), and two Cape Barren geese.