Six Critically Endangered Red Pups Born in the Wild Sparking Hope for the Future of the Species
With less than two dozen remaining in the wild, this litter of red wolves offers hope for a species that was hunted to extinction in the 1980s.
Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
A litter of endangered wild red wolf pups have been born for the first time in four years, bringing hope for the species that is on the verge of extinction.
The six newborn pups, four females and two males, were born to a wolf red pair in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge along the coast of northeastern North Carolina, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Red Wolf Recovery Program.
“As the sights and sounds of spring began to unfold on Alligator River NWR this April, something monumental was also unfolding on the landscape…a new litter of red wolf pups and renewed hope for survival of a species! During the week of April 18, Red Wolf Recovery Program Staff confirmed a litter of 6 wild red wolf pups (4 females, 2 males) born to mother 2225 and father 2323 (to be confirmed through genetic testing)," staff stated on Facebook.
A species hunted to the brink
Native to the United States, red wolves once thrived across the Southeastern states, as far north as New York and down to mid-Texas. But due to persecution, intensive eradication campaigns and habitat destruction, the species was almost extinct by the 1960s.
In the 1980s, the red wolf was officially declared extinct in the wild, meaning that biologists' hopes of saving the iconic species rested on a captive breeding program. Thankfully, it worked - at least temporarily. By the end of the decade, enough red wolves were bred in captivity to begin a restoration program and return the species to a portion of their traditional range in the southeast United States. This led to the wild red wolf population peaking at over 120 animals in 2012, but further killings and increased human-threats led to a sharp dip once again.
Before the birth of these new pups, only eight red wolves known to experts remained in the wild, with estimates that there could be up to 17 at most. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature classifies them as critically endangered. Meanwhile, in captivity, only 241 red wolves exist.
"This new litter is the first wild-born litter of red wolves since 2018. This red wolf pair was formed through the combination of several management actions and the two red wolves subsequently following their natural instincts in pairing, establishing their territory and mating," the post read. "Every generation yields a new born hope for the red wolf...a cause for joy and celebration!"
Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
Wolves in the United States
Red wolves aren’t the only wolf species struggling for survival in the country that is their native homeland. Gray wolves are also facing grave threats from new laws that allow hunters to viciously trap and kill an unlimited number of these caring, intelligent animals. Read the full feature here and discover what we can do to help solve this wildlife crisis.
And learn more about the current war on wolves by listening to this newly released Species Unite podcast series, where our host and founder Elizabeth Novogratz speaks with wolf experts, photographers, and conservationists to discover what we can do to stop the killings.
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