A WOMAN was stunned when she realised the five adorable puppies she rescued were actually a very different type of animal.

Animal shelter worker Marina found the pups in a cardboard box "in the middle of nowhere" and brought them back to the shelter.

She originally believed they were Belgian shepherd puppies but she was horrified when the creatures started to look more like foxes.

Marina wrote in a Facebook post: "Until they were two months old, we thought they were little foxes, but as they grew up, we saw that they were a team of little jackals."

The shelter was further able to identify what type of animal the pups were after sharing photos online with fans and followers about their progress, according to Metro. 

While the shelter rescued five, only three ultimately survived – they were named Alfa, Rea, and Kia. 

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Despite being wild, Marina described the animals as "typical puppies."

"They eat, play, love to love to curl up in your lap, but that wilderness is present and as soon as they get scared, they run madly trying to find shelter." 

Marina and her colleagues were able to confirm the identity of the three remaining animals.

However, by that point, it was too late to return them to the wild. 

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She wrote on facebook: "Given that they are bottled, in constant contact with humans and animals, they will never be able to return to nature."

And added: "If they were taught to adapt to nature, they would still look at man and other animals in ways not as an enemy, but something they know and is not a danger, and we all know how they would end."

There was some debate as to where the three jackals should live, between a zoo, a wildlife reserve, or elsewhere. 

Ultimately, Marina was able to keep the animals in her own home, becoming the first person in Croatia to be allowed to keep jackals as pets. 

At the time, the animal shelter worker admitted that some outsiders might assume she was selfish for keeping the pups.

But she insisted it was the best decision considering how she had already raised them. 

"I may look one-sided and tend to wish them the best but you have to understand that they grew up with me I know their habits.

"Even though they act like puppies because they nibble on everything they come across, playing, they jump they are not dogs and will never be like dogs, they are timid animals."

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