A photo of a pup, from the critically endangered species red wolf, is going viral on social media. It shows the pup sleeping beside the mother wolf and has been shared on Twitter by the Roger Williams Park Zoo in the United States.
“Red wolves, Brave & Diego are first time parents!! Born on May 5, this is a historic birth for our Zoo & an emblem of hope for the survival of this species. Only 15-20 red wolves remain in the wild. This is the first red wolf born at RWPZoo since 2005,” reads the caption.
The mother wolf, named Brave (age 6), has been carefully attending to the baby since its birth. This 23-day-old pup is Brave and Diego's first successful birth, the zoo said in a press release.
Only 15-20 red wolves are left in the wild, all of which are found in eastern North Carolina.
The zookeepers and veterinary experts continue to watch the mother wolf and its baby using an infrared camera installed inside their freshly built birthing den. While the pup has been observed feeding and looks to be gaining weight gradually, the following month is a vital period for the pup's growth, they said.
On Twitter, the post has received over 796 likes, and users have also left heartfelt remarks.
“So beautiful. So nice to see new life for this species,” wrote a user.
While another said, “Aw, congratulations Brave and Diego!”
By 1980, red wolves had almost become extinct in the wild. The last 14 wild red wolves were brought into zoos as part of the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP) - a collaboration between the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
The goal was to establish a captive breeding programme to act as the foundation for the wild population, which can then be reintroduced to the wild.
