PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Almost a month after a red wolf family left Roger Williams Park Zoo, a new wolf has arrived.
Frye comes to Providence from Fort Worth, Texas, as part of an effort by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and zoos nationwide to rebuild the red wolf population and return them to the wild.
Zookeepers hope Frye will hit it off with Saluda — a red wolf born at the zoo two years ago — and they will have a litter of pups this spring.
Frye will be in quarantine for the rest of this week, then he’ll be gradually introduced to Saluda, according to the zoo.
Saluda’s parents and two younger siblings were sent to the Akron Zoo in Ohio as part of the initiative. The zoo posted a photo of the family on its Facebook page after they arrived late last month.
“The red wolves are back at your Akron Zoo! We are welcoming a family of four wolves – Diego and Brave and their two pups, Sentinel and Sabine. The four are in the red wolf habitat and we will slowly remove the window coverings as they adjust to their new home,” the post read.
Sentinel and Sabine were born in Providence on April 29.
Red wolves are critically endangered, with fewer than 20 remaining in their native habitat.