Beardsley Zoo plays Cupid with endangered red wolves

Just in time for Valentine”™s Day: Connecticut”™s Beardsley Zoo”™s is pairing Peanut, its bachelor red wolf, with Taylor, a female red wolf who is newly arrived from the North Carolina Zoo.

The red wolf is nearly extinct in the wild ”“ a single population in eastern North Carolina survives and it is estimated to consist of between 19 and 21 wolves. An attempt to integrate captively bred red wolves into 150,000-acre Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina failed when the animals wandered beyond the refuge and were either hit by cars or shot by neighboring homeowners and farmers.

Taylor and Peanut are part of the Association of Zoos (AZA) and Aquariums Saving Animals from Extinction program and the Species Survival Plan (SSP) ”“ there are 243 red wolves in AZA facilities across the countries.

“Taylor is a beautiful and healthy red wolf, and an important ambassador for her critically endangered species,” said Zoo Director Gregg Dancho. “Welcoming Taylor to the zoo gives us a platform for alerting our guests to the fragile state of red wolves in the wild. They have a very uncertain future, except in SSP programs in zoos. The zoo”™s SSP breeding program exists to bolster the dwindling number of animals still in the wild. It”™s a real testament to our zoo”™s strong reputation for working to protect endangered species and to educate our guests about them. It”™s an important part of our mission.”

Photo: Peanut the red wolf, courtesy Jack Bradley / Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo