Photo: Miller Park Zoo

Great news for the Red Wolf Recovery Program! Earlier this spring, the great folks from Lighthawk flew two newborn red wolf pups from the Miller Park Zoo to North Carolina so the pups could be placed inside a den belonging to wild red wolves who were nursing their own small litter. The red wolf captive-to-wild fostering program is a coordinated effort by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Red Wolf Recovery Program, and the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan (RWSSP). Fostering is a method which allows genetically valuable captive-born red wolf pups to become integrated into the wild red wolf population. The pup-fostering method has been extremely successful for nearly a decade and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the WCC will one day give future red pups this incredible opportunity.