I try not to be biased towards wolves but I just can’t help it – they are wonderful beasts, none more so than the American Red Wolf which sadly and outrageously is one of the World’s most endangered mammals with only around 100 left in the wild. I was excited last year (see Blog 6 April 2011) when it looked like one of the rare red wolves was pregnant in Durham Zoo, North Carolina, USA. Sadly Wolf 1287, as she is known, was only having a phantom pregnancy and, so far, is still not pregnant.
Here she is howling – I hope she stops soon or we’ll all be howling with her, poor thing.
There is still no news from Durham Zoo about 1287 but this May there have been some new arrivals in other American zoos that have signed up for the breeding programme (Species Survival Plan) that will, one day I hope, reintroduce the Red Wolf back into the wild. Red Wolf Ayasha from Great Plains Zoo in South Dakota has given birth to three pups.
And then Point Defiance Zoo at Tacoma, Washington announced that Red Wolf Millie has given birth to five pups. Here is Millie suckling her brood:
Tacoma Zoo has now issued this update video of the pups who seem to be thriving and happy: