Salisbury, MD – The Salisbury Zoo has welcomed a new female red wolf, Skyrae. The hope is that she will mate with Bowie, the male red wolf who already lives at the Salisbury Zoo.
Skyrae is 5 years old and comes to Salisbury from the Wolf Conservation Center in New York. Bowie, age 3, and Skyrae have been recommended for breeding by the Red Wolf SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program.
Salisbury Zoo Registrar Jessica Mandelson flew on a small plane to pick Skyrae up on Friday, Dec. 15, and the two wolves have already been introduced. Skyrae is on exhibit and did not need to undergo a quarantine period because she had already received a physical exam at the Wolf Conservation Center. The wolves are getting along well so far.
LightHawk made the flight possible and the Wolf Conservation Center coordinated the transportation process.
The red wolf breeding season takes place in February through March, and gestation is 60-63 days. An average litter size is four to five pups, and Bowie and Skyrae would raise them together.
In the 1970s, this species was nearly extinct, but now, Red Wolf SAFE has a goal of increasing the captive population of red wolves from 225 to 330. The red wolf has a status of “critically endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources’ Red List of Threatened Species.
“We are excited that the Salisbury Zoo is able to have a role in helping with conservation of the red wolf species,” Mandelson said. “If Skyrae and Bowie have puppies, that will directly contribute to saving red wolves,” Mandelson said.
Skyrae, a 5-year-old red wolf, is shown in her new home at the Salisbury Zoo. Photo by Zookeeper Hannah Buchek.
