Three American red wolf pups born in captivity are now thriving in the wild after release, according to new trail camera footage from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The three pups were born in captivity at the Saint Louis Zoo’s Sears Lehmann, Jr. Wildlife Reserve. Wildlife managers then flew them to Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina and placed them into a wild red wolf (Canis rufus) den. The captive-born red wolf pups are now growing alongside their wild foster siblings.
To make sure the wild mother wasn’t overwhelmed with a large litter, the biologists swapped three captive-born pups with three born in the wild. This strategy, known as cross-fostering, lets wildlife managers add new genes into a struggling population.
The fostering program comes after a successful denning season that saw four litters of pups born in the wild. It’s important the transfers happen within the first two weeks of a pup’s life to ensure the foster mom accepts the pup as its own.
There are currently fewer than 40 red wolves in the wild but hundreds of wolves in captive breeding programs.
“It’s hard to describe the joy that comes from being part of this foster,” said Saint Louis zookeeper Nicole Becker. Becker was one of the biologists who traveled with the zoo-born pups to North Carolina. “Groundbreaking conservation efforts like this are the backbone of why we do what we do, caring for red wolves in our own backyard and protecting their wild counterparts for future generations.”
