SALISBURY, Md. - The Salisbury Zoo recently received a two-year-old male red wolf from the US Fish and Wildlife Recovery, Red Wolf Recovery Program in North Carolina. Bowie has joined Shiloh, the female red wolf as a companion, zoo officials said Thursday.
The red wolf is the world’s most endangered wolf. Once common throughout the Eastern and South-Central United States, red wolf populations were decimated by the early 20th century as a result of intensive predator control programs, as well as the degradation and alteration of the habitat that the species depends upon.
Zoo officials said that this past year, however, there have been exciting developments toward the recovery of the red wolf. USFWS released 10 adults into the wild at the North Carolina recovery area. Those along with 4 adults and 4 from 2020 brings the total to 18 wolves released to the wild in the last 2 years. For the first time since 2018 a pure litter of red wolves was born into the wild. This is a huge step towards the conservation of this species.
The Salisbury Zoo has participated in the red wolf recovery program and exhibited red wolves since 2007.