Captive Breeding Facilities
Without a managed captive breeding program, the red wolf would have continued its rapid slide to oblivion. But the Species Survival Program (SSP), established by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in 1981, designated three facilities to cooperate in conserving this rare species of wolf. All red wolves are descended from just 14 founders. Thus, today, 44 approved zoos and wildlife centers throughout the U.S. manage the red wolf population as a genetic reservoir. While the need to infuse the wild population with more adult wolves has diminished as wild red wolves continue to reproduce successfully, these SSP facilities support interactive management with the USFWS Red Wolf Recovery Program by developing innovative techniques such as cross-fostering pups from SSP facilities to wild litters, allowing wild red wolves raise the pups with their own wild-born offspring. Additionally, the SSP facilities coordinate research in genome banking, assisted reproduction, behavior studies and veterinary medicine.
- Chaffee Zoological Gardens of Fresno Fresno, CA
- Beardsley Zoological Gardens Bridgeport, CT
- Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park Homosassa, FL
- Tallahassee Museum of History & Natural Science Tallahassee, FL
- Lowry Park Zoological Garden Tampa, FL
- Chehaw Wild Animal Park Albany, GA
- Miller Park Zoo Bloomington, IL
- Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens Chicago, IL
- Niabi Zoo Coal Valley, IL
- Henson Robinson Zoo Springfield, IL
- Land Between the Lakes Golden Pond, KY
- Alexandria Zoological Park Alexandria, LA
- Salisbury Zoological Park Salisbury, MD
- Wildlife Science Center Forest Lake, MN
- Endangered Wolf Center Eureka, MO
- Jackson Zoo Jackson, MS
- North Carolina Zoological Park Asheboro, NC
- Western North Carolina Nature Center Asheville, NC
- Red Wolf Education & Healthcare Facility Columbia, NC
- North Carolina Museum of Life and Science Durham, NC
- Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge Manteo, NC
- North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
- Dan Nicholas Nature Center Salisbury, NC
- Ross Park Zoo, Binghamton, NY
- Trevor Zoo Millbrook, NY
- Wolf Conservation Center of New York South Salem, NY
- Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park Syracuse, NY
- Akron Zoological Park Akron, OH
- Roger Williams Park Zoo Providence, RI
- Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site Charleston, SC
- Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge Awenda, SC
- Great Plains Zoo Sioux Falls, SD
- Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center Chattanooga, TN
- Knoxville Zoological Gardens Knoxville, TN
- Fort Worth Zoological Park Ft. Worth, TX
- Fossil Rim Wildlife Center Glen Rose, TX
- Texas Zoo Victoria, TX
- Virginia Living Museum Newport News, VA
- Mill Mountain Zoo Roanoke, VA
- Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium Tacoma, WA
- Wolf Haven International Tenino, WA
- Oglebay Good Zoo Wheeling, WV
- North Eastern Wisconsin Zoo Green Bay, WI