North Carolina Zoo welcomes new red wolf pups

Three American red wolves at the North Carolina Zoo have given birth to a total of 12 pups. The additional pups bring the total number of red wolves (Canis rufus) in the zoo’s breeding program to 36 — about double the number of red wolves in the wild. Red wolves were historically found in the southeastern United States, but by the late 1960s, they were almost extinct. The zoo has been part of the American Red Wolf Recovery Program, captively raising wolves to be released. Only 15 to 20 red wolves are known to exist in the wild.

Read more at the North Carolina Zoo’s website.