A family of highland wild dogs has recently been discovered hiding in a remote central mountain in New Guinea.

Formerly thought to have gone extinct decades earlier, researchers have found a family of New Guinea highland wild dogs thriving in isolation. The delighted researchers have taken over 100 photographs of at least 15 wild dogs including males, females and pups!

Science Alert reports that DNA analysis suggests that these wild dogs are among the most ancient and primitive canids in existence.

Trail cameras set up by the New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation (NGHWDF) captured some of the first images of the wild pack. They were found living peacefully in the highest summit of Mount Carstensz - the tallest island peak in the world!

Scientists suspect that this pack of pups was able to thrive thanks to the accidental creation of a sanctuary in the mountains.

Local mining companies adopted special environmental measures to protect the ecosystem surrounding their facilities, which "inadvertently created a sanctuary in which the HWD could thrive", says the NGHWDF.

Check out their research here.

[Source: Science Alert]