Endangered American Red Wolf Gives Birth to 5 Pups in the Wild

On the Outer Banks of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, 5 endangered American red wolf pups were born this past month as part of an ongoing effort to resurrect a species that was declared extinct in 1980.

Three years ago, the parents of the litter were sent to the mainland refuge in the counties of Dare and Hyde. According to a news release issued by the US Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday, they have already produced puppies for the second consecutive year.

There are three females and two males in the new litter. There are now six pups in this litter after the addition of a male foster pup that was born at a zoo in Washington state.

The five red wolf siblings from the 2022 litter, who have remarkably strong family ties, will assist the parents in rearing and bonding this new generation of red wolves, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service via The Virginia Pilot.

Endangered American Red Wolf

Under the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, the American red wolf was first designated as "threatened with extinction" in 1967. The US Fish and Wildlife Service reports that this species is currently listed as an "endangered species" under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Red wolves are slim canids that frequently have bushy tails with black tips. With some black along their backs, their coats are primarily brown or buff. On their muzzle, on the backs of their legs, and behind their ears, their fur occasionally has a reddish color. Red wolves may initially resemble domestic German shepherds in appearance.

The red wolf is sized somewhere between a coyote and a gray wolf. They are around four feet long and about 26 inches tall at the shoulders. Red wolves range in weight from 45 to 80 pounds, with males weighing an average of 60 pounds and females weighing an average of 50 pounds, as per data from The National Wildlife Federation.

Recovery Efforts

The Service gave growing the red wolf population in captivity a top priority in 2016. To increase space capacity, the Service promised to contribute resources and cooperate with its partners. Through Recovery Challenge Grants awarded in FY18, FY19, and FY20, the Service has so far contributed $771,000 toward the development of new red wolf enclosures. According to data from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, 30 additional enclosures have been constructed or funded to date.

One of the most endangered species of canids in the world is the red wolf. It is smaller and ruddier in color than its gray wolf cousins. Red wolves formerly roamed the entire southeastern United States, but by 1970, habitat destruction and years of hunting had brought the species dangerously close to extinction. The US Fish & Wildlife Service seized the 14 surviving red wolves they could discover in the wild as part of an ambitious captive breeding program.

These wolf species are the ancestors of the 75 to 100 wolves that are currently living in North Carolina. Red wolves are the first species to be successfully reintroduced into the wild after being proclaimed extinct in the wild, according to The National Wildlife Federation.