Red Wolves Give Birth to Hope at Durham Museum, with New Litter Marking Milestone in Conservation Efforts

In Durham, North Carolina, the Museum of Life and Science is celebrating the birth of a new litter of critically endangered red wolf pups. The museum staff sees this as a beacon of hope for the species and a significant milestone in their conservation efforts. With fewer than 300 red wolves remaining in zoos and the wild, they are considered critically endangered.

The last litter was welcomed in 2019, and zoos exchange and breed red wolves through the Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) program to maintain genetic diversity. The museum’s 5-year-old female, Oak, gave birth to four male and three female pups on April 21. Sherry Samuels, the senior director of Animal Care at the museum, stated that this is thrilling for both the species and the institution. Each pup born is crucial for the survival of the species and offers hope for the broader Red Wolf population.

Red wolves tend to be reserved around crowds and loud noises, so patience and quiet observation will be key when observing the new pups at the museum. Tickets can be purchased at lifeandscience.org. The museum also features indoor science exhibits, a farmyard, black bears, and lemurs. Oak was born in Raleigh in 2019 and has been at the museum since 2022 while Adeyha arrived from a zoo in Illinois in 2023. Red wolves used to roam from New York to Texas according to U