El Paso Zoo Welcomes 6 Endangered Mexican Gray Wolf Pups: 'An Exciting Milestone'

el paso zoo/ facebook Mexican gray wolves

A pack of Mexican gray wolves just doubled!

On Thursday, the El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens announced that six Mexican gray wolf pups were born at the facility in April. The zoo celebrated the births by sharing photos of the endangered baby animals.

"These Mexican gray wolf pups, four males and two females, were born to their mother and father who were transferred to the El Paso Zoo from the Phoenix Zoo," the facility shared in a Facebook post.

el paso zoo/ facebook Mexican Gray Wolves

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The zoo added that the newborns "are healthy and are venturing out of their den for the first time."

Joe Montisano, director of the El Paso Zoo, spoke about the monumental births in a statement.

"This is an exciting milestone for the El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens, and we are happy to contribute to the repopulation of this endangered species," he said.

el paso zoo/ facebook Mexican Gray Wolf

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The zoo recently added a Chihuahuan Desert exhibit to their facility, which gave the zoo the space it needed to welcome new mom and dad Mexican gray wolves to their animal family "and subsequently have these pups," the zoo's director shared.

"This is an exciting day for the zoo and the wolf population," he said.

Mexican gray wolves have been considered an endangered species since 1976, and "about 300 individuals currently live in captivity between the United States and Mexico," according to the Endangered Species Coalition.