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A New Litter Of Endangered Red Wolf Pups Has Been Born In The Wild In North Carolina

May 22, 2023

A new litter of red wolf pups has been born in the wild thanks to the Red Wolf Recovery Program.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the good news in a Facebook post on May 16.

"A new litter was born for the Milltail pack of red wolves at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. For the second year in a row mother 2225 and father 2323 have added to the pack!" the agency said.

This newest litter, born during the second week of April, consists of three females and two males. The five siblings from the 2022 litter will help the parents with the raising and bonding of this new group of red wolves.

"We're committed to working closely with public and private partners to ensure these charismatic canids endure in the wild for future generations," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.

The red wolf was declared extinct in the wild in 1980. In 2016, the Red Wolf Recovery Program made increasing the size of the red wolf population under human care a priority. In 2018, the first red wolf litter was born in the wild.