Highly Endangered Red Wolf Puppy Born At Illinois Zoo

SPRINGFIELD, IL — A Springfield zoo recently celebrated the birth of a red wolf puppy as part of a recovery program to protect the highly endangered species.

Ranger was born May 13 at the Henson Robinson Zoo and is the first puppy for mother Pepper and father Red, the zoo announced Wednesday, adding Ranger has already doubled in weight since his birth.

Ranger’s parents came to the zoo last year for a breeding program and were carefully paired based on genetics, according to the zoo.

“It’s kind of like a dating service for endangered species,” Zoo Director Doug Hotle said in a news release.

The red wolf is the most endangered of all the canids, according to the zoo. Once abundant throughout the eastern U.S., their population dropped to just 14 remaining red wolves by 1972, leading the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to partner with select zoos on a conservation program. There are now over 25 wild red wolves, with young wolves regularly released into the wild, plus more than 250 in captivity across the country.

“While this isn’t our first red wolf birth here at the zoo, this one is quite significant as it adds new genetics to the overall wolf recovery program,” Hotle said in the news release. “The Henson Robinson Zoo is proud to be a part of this critically important program. Every successful birth strengthens the remaining wild populations of this iconic animal.”

For more information about the zoo, visit www.hensonrobinsonzooed.org.