St. Louis Zoo welcomes first-ever litter of endangered American red wolf pups.

Earlier this year, the St. Louis Zoo welcomed four endangered American red wolf pups, marking a first for the zoo.

At the St. Louis Zoo Sears Lehmann Jr. Wildlife Reserve, located in Eureka, Missouri, about 20 miles southwest of the zoo's WildCare Park, the pups were born.

Martha Fischer, general curator of St. Louis Zoo WildCare Park, stated in an email to Planet Chronicle Digital that their objective is to preserve this essential American species on the planet.

Fischer stated that the St. Louis Zoo and other wildlife organizations across the country are working together to increase the red wolf population, ensuring their recovery in the wild remains possible.

On April 26, the first pup, a female named Otter, was born at the zoo. Her parents, Lava, 8 years old, and Tyke, 9 years old, relocated from another wolf conservation center in New York to Missouri in late 2023.

On May 4, three other pups, including two males named Finn and Obi and a female named Molly, were born.

According to the zoo, the pups are "healthy and thriving" and had their first checkups in late June.

The St. Louis Zoo announced that Ladybird, age 3, and Wilber, age 8, are the parents of their first offspring, three pups.

The mother ladybird came from a wolf conservation facility in Missouri, while the father wilber was brought to the St. Louis Zoo's wildlife reserve from Homossa Springs Wildlife State Park in Florida, the zoo stated.

The American red wolf had its first breeding season at the reserve, as stated in the zoo's news release.

According to Sabarras George, director of the St. Louis Zoo WildCare Park, each red wolf birth is considered an achievement due to the low population.

He expressed immense pride in the team who had worked tirelessly for years to achieve this milestone.

According to the zoo, the pups are "healthy and thriving" and had their first checkups in late June.

The St. Louis Zoo classifies the American red wolf as the world's most endangered wolf species.

Red wolves are only found in the wild in North Carolina, with only slightly more than 300 individuals remaining worldwide, according to the zoo.

The zoo stated that approximately 20 wolves remain in the wild.

As of May 2024, 290 red wolves are living in human care.

At the St. Louis Zoo Sears Lehmann Jr. Wildlife Reserve, there are 17 American red wolves, including four pups, according to the release.

The reserve is closed to visitors to allow the 17 resident red wolves to maintain their natural behaviors and survival skills with minimal human interaction.

According to the release, the wolf pups will remain with their parents for a minimum of two years.

The wolves may be sent to other conservation centers to start their own packs or released into the wild, according to the release.

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website reports that since the late 1960s, there has been an effort to revive the American red wolf population, which was on the brink of extinction.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website, the American red wolf once inhabited a region ranging from Texas to New York.

The rapid population decline of predators in the early 1900s was due to both "intensive predator control programs" and "habitat degradation and alteration," according to the website.

"In 1967, when the red wolf was classified as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Preservation Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began efforts to protect and recover the species."