Spring brings red wolf pups!

Spring is a special time of year for the field biologists with the Red Wolf Recovery Program. The days are getting longer, the temperatures are warming, and red wolves will soon be giving birth to pups!

These two female pups, born to the Kilkenny pack on or about April 18, 2010, were estimated to be about 7 to 8 days old when found. Red wolves rear their young in dens of shallow depressions with dense vegetation for cover or in deep burrows along the slopes of brushy windrows or canal banks. They also may create a den at the base of a large tree, which is where these two pups were found. Pregnant females may dig several dens during the breeding season. Den areas are used from April through July, corresponding to the whelping and pup-rearing periods. Litter sizes can range from 1 to 11 pups, with an average of four pups per litter.