FRANKLIN COUNTY, Mo. – The Saint Louis Zoo is celebrating the births of four American red wolves at its Wildlife Reserve in Franklin County this spring. The pups are part of the most endangered wolf species on Earth.

According to a zoo spokesperson, a female pup named Otter was born on April 26 to parents Lava, 8, and Tyke, 9. Both Lava and Tyke came to the Wildlife Reserve in late 2023 from the Wolf Conservation Center in New York State.

Three additional pups—Molly, Finn, and Obi—were born on May 4 to parents Ladybird, 3, and Wilber, 8. Ladybird came to the Wildlife Reserve from the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Missouri. Wilber was sent from Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park in Florida.

The zoo said all four pups had their first checkups in late June and are healthy and doing well.


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The zoo opened the 355-acre Wildlife Reserve in 2022 to help save critically endangered American species. Peggy Lehmann donated the land to the zoo in 1993 in honor of her late husband, Sears Lehmann Jr.

About 20 American red wolves (Canis rufus) remain in the wild and they can only be found in eastern North Carolina. Red wolves were once spread across the southern and eastern United States, from Texas to Missouri to New York.

Unfortunately, a red wolf has not been seen in Missouri since the 1950s. The species was declared extinct in the wild in 1980.

The red wolf is the largest carnivore solely native to the United States. The wolves weigh less than gray wolves—about 65 pounds—and are distinguishable by the reddish fur around their head, ears, and legs.

The Wildlife Reserve is not open to the public, and staff has limited contact with the red wolves to allow them to maintain their natural behaviors and survival skills. According to the zoo, the goal is to keep the red wolves safe until they can be selected for release into the wild.

The red wolf pups will stay with their parents for two years and may then be sent to other partner institutions for breeding and starting their own packs.

As of May 2024, approximately 290 red wolves live in human care.

Red wolf pup Otter during a June 2024 health checkup at the Saint Louis Zoo Sears Lehmann, Jr. Wildlife Reserve Photo courtesy of Jamie Lombardo via Saint Louis Zoo.A red wolf pup during a June 2024 health checkup at the Saint Louis Zoo Sears Lehmann, Jr. Wildlife Reserve. Photo courtesy of Sara Burran via Saint Louis Zoo.A red wolf pup during a June 2024 health checkup at the Saint Louis Zoo Sears Lehmann, Jr. Wildlife Reserve. Photo courtesy of Joshua Sydney Smith Saint Louis Zoo.A red wolf pup during a June 2024 health checkup at the Saint Louis Zoo Sears Lehmann, Jr. Wildlife Reserve. Photo courtesy of Sara Burran via Saint Louis Zoo.A red wolf pup during a June 2024 health checkup at the Saint Louis Zoo Sears Lehmann, Jr. Wildlife Reserve. Photo courtesy of Jamie Lombardo via Saint Louis Zoo.