Two local wildlife organizations have announced the births of nine endangered American red wolf pups this breeding season.
American red wolves were declared extinct in the wild in 1980, but conservation groups have since worked to repopulate the species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates there are 18 to 20 American red wolves in the wild and more than 250 in human captivity.
Four pups were born at the St. Louis Zoo at the end of April, and five were born at the Endangered Wolf Center around the same time.
Fred Gauna, executive director of the Endangered Wolf Center, said the births are crucial to maintaining a healthy population.
“Each of these births is a milestone to making sure that we have this genetic reserve that we can use to supplement the efforts in the field to get wolves back into the wild,” Gauna said.
American red wolves used to be one of the main predators in the eastern United States. Gauna said humans started killing wolves out of personal fear and in defense of their livestock. Today, the only place American red wolves can be found in the wild is North Carolina.
Gauna said while humans were the main destructor of the species, they’re also going to be the ones to have to save them from extinction.
“If we’re going to be a harmonious piece, that also means undoing some of the damage as much as is feasible and allowing space for the animals that we previously persecuted to thrive,” he said.
The Endangered Wolf Center and St. Louis Zoo are part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Red Wolf Saving Animals From Extinction program. The government agency works with conservation organizations nationwide to advise them on breeding and introduction processes.
Martha Fischer is the general curator at St. Louis Zoo WildCare Park, which oversees the reserve where the pups were born. She said the current extinction rate of animals, not just American red wolves, is concerning.
“Every time we lose a species from the ecosystem, it causes the balance to go a little bit farther away from where it should be,” Fischer said. “That should be a concern to everybody, and we should be all working to keep that species from going extinct to keep that eco-balance in place.”
Both the zoo and wolf center will be keeping a hands-off approach with the wolf pups. Gauna and Fischer said it’s important to limit human interaction with the wolves because it trains them to be wary of humans and gives them a better chance to be reintroduced into the wild to live comfortably on their own.
Fischer said the pups born in St. Louis are just part of a bigger goal to repopulate American red wolves.
“These births are an incredible milestone for us as a zoo, but they’re also a really important component to the future of the species,” she said. “We’re hoping that this is just the first of many years that we’re able to introduce new pups to our community, and we’re hopeful that we’re going to be able to really help the red wolf program be successful.”
