Watch Rare Mexican Wolf Pups Meet Their Wild Foster Families

This rare Mexican wolf mum and her litter have a special mission. Four of these critically endangered pups will be placed with new foster families in the wild. Mexican wolves are native to Southwestern U.S., and fewer than 150 individuals remain in the wild. The Endangered Wolf Centre and federal, state, and local agencies are working to increase the wolves’ numbers.

Cross-fostering involves placing puppies from a captive litter like this one into a wild litter, in hopes that the wild mother will adopt the new pups as her own. The timing is tricky, because the litters have to be around the same age – under 2 weeks old. Despite the challenges, these four pups were successfully transported to their new dens. Two joined a pack in Arizona, and two went to New Mexico. Cross-fostering increases the genetic diversity of the wild population, which may help the species survive.