The Newest, Cutest Baby Animals from the World's Zoos & Aquariums

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Category: Wolf

Wolf Pup Gets a New Home in Colorado

April 28, 2013

Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, Wolf

Kenyi, a British Columbian Tundra
Wolf pup, has a new home after traveling across the country to the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center. Born in Florida, Kenyi and his two siblings
were unplanned, so there was not enough room for them to remain at their birthplace.

Photo Credits: Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center

The sanctuary’s staff has already
started introducing Kenyi to some of its resident wolves, albeit through the
safety of a fence.

The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center
is a sanctuary for a variety of canids, including Timber Wolves, Alaskan Wolves,
Arctic Wolves, Mexican Grey Wolves, Swift Foxes, and Coyotes. The sanctuary is accredited by the Association
of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA).

As an AZA facility, the center supports conservation efforts by participating in Species Survival Plan
programs for Mexican Grey Wolves and Swift Foxes.

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UPDATE: Maned Wolf Pups Come Out of Hiding to Visit the Vet

March 16, 2013

Maned Wolf, Wolf, Zoo Liberec

Two Maned Wolf Pups born at the Czech Republic’s Zoo Liberec on January 10 had their
first visit to the veterinarian this week to receive vaccinations and determine
their gender. The pair, a male and a
female, was proclaimed in excellent health by the veterinary staff.

The pups, who were profiled on ZooBorns last
month, weighed only about a pound (.5 kg) at birth, but they have rapidly
gained weight. At the exam, each weighed
more than six pounds (2.8 kg). The pups are the first Maned Wolves ever born at
Zoo Liberec.

Photo Credits: Zoo Liberec

Native to South America, Maned Wolves are unique among
canids. They are distinguished by long
legs, a bushy mane which is erected when the Wolf is threatened, and a
skunk-like odor. Maned Wolves live
solitary lives roaming the grasslands of central South America. They eat small mammals as well as tubers,
fruits, and sugarcane.

Maned Wolves are listed as Near Threatened by the International
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but in some parts of their range,
notably in Uruguay, this species may be nearly extirpated (locally
extinct).

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Wolf Quints Make Their Debut

July 7, 2012

Highland Wildlife Park, Wolf

Five furry European Grey Wolf pups made their debut last week at Scotland’s Highland Wildlife Park. Born on May 25 to mum Elara and dad Puika, the still-shy six-week-old pups are starting to explore their forested habitat, aptly named Wolf Wood. It’s been 12 years since Wolves were born at the park.

The pups’ genders are not yet known, but park officials have already decided to name one of the pups “Forty,” in honor of the park’s 40^th anniversary.

“The pups, especially one particularly bold individual, are now beginning to wander around the large wooded enclosure, which does seem to cause their mother some anxiety,” said Douglas Richardson, Animal Collection Manager. “The Park is visited by quite a number of people with a special interest in Wolves and it is hoped that this latest breeding success will generate further interest in this much-maligned species, especially as it is an animal that formerly roamed over most of the country.”

Wolves were once common throughout Europe, but in the 1800s, they were eliminated in most of central and northern Europe. Since then, Wolves have been reestablished in some parts of the region, despite threats from overhunting and poaching. Today, the largest wild European Grey Wolf populations are in the eastern European countries of Poland and Romania, and in the Balkans.

Photo credit: Alex Riddell
Artic Wolf Pups Emerge at Knuthenborg Safari Park

June 13, 2012

Wolf

They were born on May 7, but these Arctic Wolf pups were just seen coming out of their cave by keepers for the first time at Knuthenborg Safaripark in Denmark.

Just three puppies were spotted peeking their heads out at the edge of their den… but then came two more fuzzy little heads. "We are really happy", says Animal and Dissemination Manager for Knuthenborg Safari Park, Lisbeth Hoegh. "We had, at best, hoped for three pups, but there are five! Unusually large broods indicate a wolf-mother who works well in her role."

The Arctic Wolf is also called the Polar or White Wolf, and lives in the northernmost regions of Canada and Greenland. They are related to the Gray Wolf. They are considered endangered, due to being hunted for their beautifully colored soft pelts, among other reasons. In the wild they are very scarce, and there are even fewer in captivity.

Photo Credit: Knuthenborg Safaripark
Trio of Rare Wolf Pups Born at the Great Plains Zoo

May 24, 2012

Great Plains Zoo, Wolf

The Great Plains Zoo in South Dakota announced the birth of three rare Red Wolf pups. There are only about 100 Red Wolves left in the entire wild population! Four-year-old mom Ayasha gave birth to a litter of three pups last month – two females and a male. They weighed less than a pound at birth and fit into the palm of a zookeeper’s hand. The zoo’s animal care staff monitored the birth through video
cameras and continues to observe the new family.

“These are important births to our zoo and to the survival of the entire Red Wolf population,” said Elizabeth A. Whealy, President and CEO of the Great Plains Zoo. “Red Wolves are one of the world’s most endangered animals. These pups are important ambassadors for their species, and are helping to shine a light on the plight of these vanishing animals.”

Just like human newborns, the pups will spend much of their time sleeping, eating and settling in with their mother. The pups are expected to be on exhibit, viewable by the public, in the next few weeks. The pups father Tamaska can be seen daily in the Red Wolf exhibit.

Photo Credit: Great Plains Zoo

Read more about Red Wolf Pups below the jump:

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Critically Endangered Red Wolf Pups Born at Point Defiance

May 18, 2012

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Wolf

ZooBorns strives to highlight the ways animals born at accredited zoos and aquariums can directly support vital conservation programs in the wild. Perhaps no effort better illustrates this than the Red Wolf Recovery Program, for which the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is the flagship breeding facility.

Hunted, poisoned and cut off from natural habitat, Red Wolves were formally declared extinct in the wild after biologists captured the remaining 17 wolves in the 1970s for an ambitious new pilot breeding program. Remarkably, 14 of the those wolves bred in captivity and by 1987 enough pups had been born for the US Fish & Wildlife to attempt reintroduction efforts.

Today over 100 Red Wolves roam their native habitats in northeastern North Carolina. While this a far cry from the tens of thousands that once ranged from New England to Florida, it still represents a tremendous success, marking the first time a predator population has been rebuilt in the wild after being declared extinct in the wild.

On May 14, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium staff were delighted to welcome 8 critically endangered Red Wolf pups to mother Millie, an 8-year-old female, and father 9-year-old Graham. Millie is an attentive and protective mother, said Will Waddell, the zoo’s Red Wolf program coordinator, who also manages the nationwide Red Wolf Species Survival Plan and is part of the Red Wolf Recovery Team.

While these pups are first born on zoo grounds in 29 years, the program has produced hundreds of pups at off-site breeding facilities since its inception.

Zoo staff are working on a closed-circuit camera feed of Millie and her pups in their den so they might be viewable by the media and the public. They likely will come out of their den and into the exhibit in three to four weeks – a purely voluntary action – Waddell said.

Photo credits: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

Learn more about the Point Defiance Zoo's leadership in the Red Wolf Recovery Program and visit the program's official US FIsh & Wildlife page. For more info and photos, continue reading after the jump.

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Four Maned Wolf Pups For The Smithsonian!

February 1, 2012

Maned Wolf, Smithsonian National Zoo, Wolf

Although 2012 has only just begun, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia (SCBI-FR), already has something to celebrate in the new year: the birth of four Maned Wolf pups Jan. 5. It is the first litter born at SCBI-FR in two years and will play an important role in helping researchers maintain a viable, self-sustaining population under human care.

“Every pup born here helps us understand more about the biology of this incredible species,” said Nucharin Songsasen, an SCBI research biologist. “SCBI has a long history with the Maned Wolf, both in terms of studying the biology and maintaining the genetic diversity of individuals living under human care, as well as in conserving the animals in the wild.”

Photo credit: Lisa Ware, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

The four pups were born to mother, 8-year-old Salina, and father, 4-year-old Nopal, who was born at SCBI-FR. Maned Wolf pups have a 50 percent mortality rate in the first month, so keepers are monitoring them closely. This litter is particularly valuable because Nopal is the 10th most genetically valuable male among the 36 reproductively viable males in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Maned Wolf Species Survival Plan, which matches animals across the country to ensure genetic diversity in the population. Seventy-two maned wolf pups have been born at SCBI-FR since 1975, and the facility currently has 12 wolves, including the pups. The National Zoo has two maned wolves on exhibit at the Cheetah Conservation Station.

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Meet Dora and Diego the Maned Wolf Pups!

February 2, 2011

Houston Zoo, Maned Wolf, Wolf

The Houston Zoo is proud to announce the births of two rare Maned Wolf pups. Born December 30, the pups are being hand reared at the Houston Zoo's Denton Cooley Animal Hospital. "This is the first successful birth of Maned Wolves at the Houston Zoo in over 10 years," said Houston Zoo Curator of Carnivores and Primates Hollie Colahan. "The pups weigh just over 5 pounds now and are being cared for around the clock by Zoo carnivore and animal hospital staff," added Colahan. The pups are fed 6 times each day and were just introduced to solid food last week. Maned Wolves are not closely related with any other living Canid (wolf, dog or fox) and one study suggests that they may be the sole South American surivivor of the mass extinction of large Canids at the end of the last ice age.

Maned Wolves are native to the grasslands, savannahs and tall grass prairies of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia. The species once thrived and ranged throughout much of South America.Unlike other wolves that live in cooperative breeding packs, Maned Wolves are solitary animals. Little is known about their lives in the wild where their populations are increasingly threatened by habitat loss to agriculture.

MUCH more cuteness below the fold…

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Polar Wolf Mother Spotted Nuzzling with Pups

May 22, 2010

Wolf

Yesterday, zoo visitor Ulli J. snapped these pictures of a mother Arctic Wolf, also known as a Polar Wolf tending to her young. The Monde Sauvage Safari Park in Belgium is home to these North American natives. In the wild, Polar Wolf mothers leave the pack when they are pregnant to seek safe refuge for their cubs. It is not uncommon for her siblings to help care for these young while she finds food outside the den.

Photo Credits: Ulli J.
Endangered Red Wolf Pups Return to the Wild!

April 30, 2010

Lincoln Park Zoo, Wolf

Two of six endangered red wolf pups born at Lincoln Park Zoo on April 17 are on their way to North Carolina today where they will be released into the wild through the Red Wolf Recovery Program. The newborn pups will be placed inside the den of a pair of wild adult wolves that are currently nursing their own small litter of comparably aged pups. The wild wolves will become the zoo-born pups’ foster parents.

Photo Credits: Lincoln Park Zoo

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