Red wolves are one of the most critically endangered animals in the world with their population numbering less than 20 in the wild — all in eastern North Carolina. That’s why it’s great news that as many as three litters of American red wolves were recently born at the North Carolina Zoo.
The litters, which total 12 pups, were born over three days at the end of April, according to zoo officials, who also said that all the pups and their mothers are healthy and doing well. The adorable pups bring the total number of red wolves currently in the zoo’s breeding program to 36.
One of the litters was born on red wolf public habitat, for the first time in 20 years, and the pups will most likely be visible starting in mid-June when they begin to venture outside of the den, reports The Independent. The pups are all part of a captive breeding program aimed at reviving the species’ numbers.
