The Virginia Living Museum announces the birth of six red wolf pups on April 26. Red wolves are one of the world’s most endangered wild canids.

The six pups (three males, three females) are the second litter for the museum’s adult red wolves. On April 28, each pup weighed about ¾ lbs. (314-382 grams). On May 9, their weight ranged from 1½ to 2 lbs. Their eyes opened on May 10 and one of the pups began walking on May 13.

The pups are being kept inside a nesting box in the red wolf enclosure, along with the mother. They are expected to join the adult wolves on public exhibit by the end of June.

Visitors to the museum can see still photos of the pups until they go on exhibit.

“We are thrilled to have pups for the second year in a row,” said Curatorial Director George Mathews, Jr. “There are still less than 200 red wolves in the wild and less than 200 in captivity so every birth is important.”

 “The whole reason the museum is here is to connect people with nature and to conserve the environment. Helping conserve these very endangered animals is something very special we can do that others cannot. It’s a program that is integral to our mission,” said Executive Director Page Hayhurst.

The wolf mother was born in Florida in May 2001 and acquired in January 2003 from the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, Conn. The father was born in May 2003 and acquired in November 2005 from the Alligator River Refuge in Manteo, N.C. Their first pup, a female, was born May 1, 2006 and is still at the museum.

Historically, red wolves ranged all over the southeastern United States. In 1973,the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service launched a captive breeding program to begin restoring the red wolf population and reintroducing the animals into the wild. Today about 100 red wolves roam 1.5-million acres around the Alligator River Refuge. The Virginia Living Museum is one of 38 zoos, nature centers and museums that participate in the federal captive breeding program to raise wolves for reintroduction into the wild.

This year there were 55 pups born in 13 litters at captive breeding sites across the country. Three of the 55 were fostered with mothers along the Alligator River, according to Mathews.

The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $13 adults and $10 children (ages 3-12). For more information call 757-595-1900 or visit the web site at www.thevlm.org. Call 757-595-9135 for group reservations.

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