Dan Nicholas hope new Red Cubs in April while the exhibits on wildlife reopen – Salisbury Post

SALISBURY – After nearly a year of breeding puppies red wolves, Dan Nicholas Park hope there will be a new range next month.

The naturalist Rowan Wild, Megan Cline said that wolves mate in February and new puppies arrive about two months later.

Red wolves are one of the species most threatened in the world, with estimates for the wild population in the low double digits. All wild wolves in eastern North Carolina. A few hundred wolves in captivity.

Puppies born local wolves Magma and Clay to Dan Nicholas Park approaching adulthood. In nature, red wolves are monogamous for life and live in family units that may seem familiar to humans, with parents raising young people who help families before they are old enough to start and build their own family. The three pups born last year are expected to remain until the fall, but they will eventually move to other facilities as part of a program that supports the wolves in captivity.

Cline said that the prospect of the departure of young guns did not made sad because they contribute to the maintenance of the species.

Wolves are predators at the top and were historically an important part of local ecosystems. Today, coyotes dominate perch wild canids.

The Red wolf survival plan was launched to conserve the species in captivity and replenish the wild population by reintroducing wolves in their natural habitat. For years, the program has not been able to reintroduce wolves, but in January, a warrant issued by a judge of the Federal Court has demanded that the US department of fisheries and wildlife reintroductions resume. This was great news for the plan.

“It is frankly why we have continued to do what we have done in recent years,” said Chris Lasher, coordinator of the survival plan and expert on red wolf.

Lasher said the hope is to begin this spring with reintroductions of adults and puppies. First, the program must identify a new wild range and insert. Lasher said wild wolves seem to always accept new additions.

The program will also add at least seven new participating facilities across the country, bringing the total number of facilities to at least 50. The St. Louis Zoo is committed to create a dozen shelters for red wolves.

Lasher said Magma and Clay are probably not candidates for reintroduction into the wild, as they are a proven breeding pair can produce wolves in captivity. The first choice of the program to reintroduce wolves are not as valuable to the captive breeding and were less exposed to humans.