The Wolf Conservation Center’s critically endangered Mexican gray wolf pups born on April 26 are almost three weeks old! This is a significant milestone for the pocket-size predators.

Born blind and deaf with their eyes and ears closed, wolf pups rely solely on their sense of smell and the feel of their surroundings to navigate for their first couple of weeks. Their eyes (blue in color for now) began to open at 10 – 12 days old and their ears should open up soon. Generally, pups begin to hear at about 21 days old and their ears will begin to stand up too!

As the pups continue to practice walking, they’ll grow bolder and begin appearing outside of the den more and more!

Monitor their development by joining the critically endangered kiddos via live webcams!

Background

Beyond being cute, these pups represent the Wolf Conservation Center’s active participation in an effort to save a species from extinction.

The WCC is one of more than 50 institutions in the U.S. and Mexico participating in the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan – a bi-national initiative whose primary purpose is to support the reestablishment of Mexican wolves in the wild through captive breeding, public education, and research.

The Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) or “lobo” is the most genetically distinct lineage of wolves in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the most endangered mammals in North America. By the mid-1980s, hunting, trapping, and poisoning caused the extinction of lobos in the wild, with only seven remaining rescued from extinction in captivity. In 1998, the wolves were reintroduced into the wild as part of a federal reintroduction program under the Endangered Species Act. Today in the U.S., there is a single wild population comprising only 131 individuals – an increase from 114 counted at the end of 2017.