THE biggest ever rare bush dog litter born at Chester Zoo has emerged from its den.

Born to seven-year-old mum Mana and dad Franco, four, the six pups have made their public debuts after spending their first few weeks tucked away in underground burrows.

It is believed the first of the sextuplets arrived on May 13 as this is when keepers first heard tiny cries from the dens during morning rounds.

The litter is made up of two boys and four girls and they have now popped out to play and begun exploring the outside world.

Curator of mammals at the zoo Tim Rowlands said: “Mana is doing a wonderful job of caring for her new pups but with it being her biggest litter ever, she’s certainly got her paws full.

“We’ve seen fairly big litters of four or five pups born in the past, but never have we had a litter of six. It’s an incredibly exciting time for the keepers, as well as our pack of bush dogs which is now 16 strong.

“Once the pups are confident enough to stay out of their den for extended periods of time, they’ll each be weighed, sexed and microchipped.

"This data helps us monitor their progress and coordinate the endangered species breeding programme, which is working to boost their numbers in zoos around the world.

“In the wild, bush dogs face a huge number of threats, including the destruction of their forest home to make way for farming developments, human-wildlife conflict, poaching for their meat and the introduction of diseases in their habitat from domesticated dogs.

"With such a multitude of threats putting their existence at risk - these six pups are very, very special.”

Originating from the wet forests and grasslands of Central and South America, bush dogs have evolved over thousands of years to have a web of skin between their toes which makes them excellent swimmers.

Their wild number has dropped by more than 25% in just 12 years and Chester Zoo has supported partners in Argentina where conservationists have helped to create a biological corridor of habitat for a range of carnivorous species to help improve the movement between different areas of fragmented forest.