A pair of Mexican gray wolves are certainly doing their part to protect their endangered species as they recently welcomed a litter of seven puppies at an Albuquerque zoo.
On Tuesday, ABQ BioPark announced their wolves Kawi and Ryder are now proud parents to a whopping seven pups (or ” lobos “), who also recently emerged from their den to explore their new surroundings.
This is actually the second litter for this couple, who are also parents to a male pup named Archer born last May.
Tragically, Archer was the only member of his three-puppy litter to survive.
According to a press release from the zoo, mortality is high in litters born to a first-time mother, like Kawai, and around 30% of gray wolf pups don’t actually make it to their first birthday.
Thankfully, now Archer has a whole *fleet* of siblings to bond with.
The seven puppies were born back in May and have been hidden away in their underground den with Kawi ever since. As it turns out, she’s quite the protective mamma, so zoo staff have made sure to give her space so she can bond with her babies.
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For the past few weeks, staff have only been able to view the pups by camera, but they’ll soon have their first exam at which point their sexes will also be determined.
Zoo manager Lynn Tupa acknowledged that second litters are usually larger than the first, but Kawi’s brood of seven was still quite the surprise.
“The ABQ BioPark has played an important role in Mexican wolf recovery over the years and we’re proud to contribute to the survival of this critically endangered sub-species,” she said in the press release . “Every new lobo that we welcome boosts overall survival of wolves in the wild.”
This week, the pups finally emerged from their den for the very first time, an incredible moment which was caught on camera.
In the video above, we can see Kawi and Ryder supervising their litter as the curious pups roam their new environment, taking in all the new sights, sounds, and smells, and of course getting some much-needed playtime in as well.
Wildlife experts estimate there are only around 163 Mexican gray wolves left in the wild in the U.S.
This sub-species of the gray wolf were largely wiped out by the mid-1970s, and have continued to be considered endangered due to compromised genetics and human intolerance.
Since 1983, Albuquerque’s BioPark has welcomed 79 Mexican gray wolf pups as part of a cooperative breeding program between the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Wolf Recovery Plan.
h/t: BioPark
