North Carolina Zoo welcomes 12 American red wolf pups

ASHEBORO, N.C. — The North Carolina Zoo has welcomed a dozen new additions to its family.

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According to WECT, the Asheboro attraction announced Monday that three litters of American red wolf pups, including four males and eight females, were born from April 28 to 30. The zoo now houses 36 red wolves, it said in a news release.

“All pups and their mothers are healthy and doing well,” the release said. “This is the first time in the zoo’s breeding program that three litters were born in one spring.”

The birth of one litter occurred in the attraction’s public habitat, “giving zoo guests a rare chance to view the pups for a limited time,” the release said.

“The pups most likely will be visible starting in mid-June, when they begin to venture outside of the den,” the zoo said. “The wolf family will be moved to the non-public breeding area when the pups are older and weaned from their mother. The other two litters were born in non-public viewing areas of the zoo.”

In the coming weeks, the zoo plans to let the public help name one of the litters through a poll, according to the news release.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, about 20 red wolves, which are endangered and native to eastern North Carolina, currently live in the wild. About 245 live in captivity, the agency said.

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Cox Media Group