Four red wolves — ‘most endangered wolf species in the world’ — born at Missouri zoo
%20A%20red%20wolf%20pup%20during%20a%20June%202024%20health%20checkup%20at%20the%20Saint%20Louis%20Zoo%20Sears%20Lehmann,%20Jr.%20Wildlife%20Reserve.%20Photo%20courtesy%20of%20Sara%20Burran%20via%20Saint%20Louis%20Zoo.%20(3).png "Four red wolves were born at the St. Louis Zoo in the spring. This is the “most endangered wolf species in the world,” the zoo said.")
The “most endangered wolf species in the world” grew by 1% this spring when four red wolf pups were born at a Missouri reserve, officials said.
“When you consider how few red wolves remain, each birth is an achievement,” Sabarras George, director of the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park, said in a July 8 news release.
About 20 red wolves live in the wild today while 290 are under human care, according to the St. Louis Zoo.
The births of Otter, Molly, Finn and Obi in April and May at the St. Louis Zoo’s Wildlife Reserve in Franklin County added to the critically endangered population of American red wolves (Canis rufus), the zoo said.
%20A%20red%20wolf%20pup%20during%20a%20June%202024%20health%20checkup%20at%20the%20Saint%20Louis%20Zoo%20Sears%20Lehmann,%20Jr.%20Wildlife%20Reserve.%20Photo%20courtesy%20of%20Joshua%20Sydney%20Smith%20Saint%20Louis%20Zoo.%20(1).png "(Email size) A red wolf pup during a June 2024 health checkup at the Saint Louis Zoo Sears Lehmann, Jr. Wildlife Reserve. Photo courtesy of Joshua Sydney Smith Saint Louis Zoo. (1).png")
Otter was the first of the four to be born, on April 26 to parents Lava, 8, and Tyke, 9, who came to St. Louis in 2023 from a reserve in New York, according to the release.
Eight days later, three more pups — Molly, Finn and Obi — made Ladybird, 3, and Wilber, 8, first-time parents.
The four pups were “thriving” at their first checkup at the end of June, the zoo said.
Red wolves are known for their red fur found around their heads, ears and legs, according to the zoo. The species is the “only large carnivore solely native to the United States,” the zoo said.
The species used to roam southern and eastern parts of the U.S. — anywhere from Texas to New York, according to the zoo. However, they were driven to “near extinction” and were even declared extinct in the wild in 1980, the release said.
The species is known to be “naturally shy and run away from people,” according to the zoo. This is a behavior important to keeping the wolves safe in the wild, the release said.
Now, the Wildlife Reserve is part of a nationwide effort to increase the population.
Working with the American Red Wolf Saving Animals From Extinction Program (SAFE), among other programs, the reserve cared for three of the 33 red wolf breeding pairs in the 2023-2024 season, according to the release.
“The births of red wolves in SAFE institutions, such as these litters, are a vital component to recovering red wolves both in helping to maintain a viable SAFE population under human care and growing the wild population through releases,” Emily Weller, red wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said in the release.
The reserve, which is not open to the public, is home to 17 red wolves, according to the zoo. The four pups will remain with their parents for at least two years before they may be transferred to other institutions to “start their own packs,” according to the release.
Franklin County is about a 60-mile drive southwest from St. Louis.
This story was originally published July 8, 2024 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Four red wolves — ‘most endangered wolf species in the world’ — born at Missouri zoo."
