Three Litters In Three Days: NC Zoo Welcomes Red Wolf Puppies

NORTH CAROLINA — The North Carolina Zoo's red wolf pack just got 12 new additions. Three litters of critically endangered red wolf puppies were born at the Asheboro-based zoo in the span of three days, it announced.

The four male and eight female puppies increase the number of red wolves at the zoo to 36, and comes as the species faces threats of extinction. Since 1994, the NC Zoo has successfully bred 48 wolves as part of the American Red Wolf Recovery Program.

Red wolves are considered the most endangered canid in the world, with fewer than 20 remaining in the wild. Those wolves all live in eastern North Carolina, according to zoo officials.

"Congratulations to the North Carolina Zoo for playing an essential part in the survival of this critically endangered species," North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Reid Wilson said in a statement. "These births are important because many of our wolves, once matured, have been moved to other breeding packs to continue to help bring this species back from near extinction. Our hope is that more and more red wolves can soon be placed into the wild."

The births mark the first time the zoo has welcomed three litters in one spring, as well as the first time in decades that a litter was born in a public habitat.

Want to catch a glimpse of red wolf puppies? Zoo officials predict there could be a rare chance to view the six puppies born in the public habitat in mid-June when they begin to leave their den. When the pups get a bit older, however, they will be moved to a non-public breeding area while they're weaned from their mother.

More information about the North Carolina Zoo's red wolf program may be found here.