I think it's awesome that they've added this behaviour. I've noticed it heaps in my ZT2 AWD's but I don't recall seeing it in my wolves.
In reality, it's not just pups that feed on regurgitated meat. Although I'm now back with the giraffes, I was AWD keeper at my zoo for a period and I've seen how packs behave during and after carcass feeds. Our AWD's get two to three whole goat carcasses twice a week. They have carcasses and not 'meat' because the heirarchy is honed/set in stone (I can't think of better wording right now!) at carcass feeds, and without the opportunity to display this natural behaviour, you end up with problems in the pack. Although some of the public don't understand the need for it and are upset by the sight of the dogs eating dead goats, it's an excellent education opportunity too.
Dogs solicit another dog (usually a dominant animal) to regurgitate by licking or poking their noses into the mouths of other dogs- which is where the domestic dogs inclination to lick your face comes from. In AWD's it involves ALOT of noise and the dogs are usually constantly on the move until food is regurgitated. In AWD's it's been described as 'agressive begging' because they are so persistant! The 'target' is basically hounded until it has little choice but to regurgitate!
It's not just pups that ask for food though. Adult dogs will also solicit food from other adults- this way all pack members usually get a decent amount of food. It's a good thing too, since in AWD packs, the pups are dominant over older dogs- at our carcass feeds the dominant pair will take a carcass and the youngest pups will take another, leaving the older pups to wait and either feed on scraps when the others have finished or solicit food from the dominant pair. They all have very round bellies by the end of the day though!
I'm not sure about AWD's but I know that in wolf packs where an 'uncle' or 'auntie' is left behind to mind the pups while the pack hunts, the minder is also fed on regurgitated meat on a regular basis.
Edit: If anyone is interested, I found these pics from before I became a keeper. Firstly, a pup asking for food from an adult- in this case one of the older 'pups' from our first litter (a dog that has since passed away), with one of her siblings, Mongo, walking behind.
http://www.astarte.net.nz/junk/AWDfeedsmall.jpgAnd secondly, the pups feeding on regurgitated meat:
http://www.astarte.net.nz/junk/pupsregurgsmall.jpg
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