Midwest

4 endangered American red wolf pups born at St. Louis Zoo in historic first

Published

1 year ago

July 11, 2024

4 endangered American red wolf pups born at St. Louis Zoo in historic first

The St. Louis Zoo recently announced the birth of four endangered American red wolf pups earlier this year in what is a first for the zoo.

The pups were born at the St. Louis Zoo Sears Lehmann Jr. Wildlife Reserve, which is located in Eureka, Missouri – about 20 miles southwest of the zoo’s WildCare Park, according to a news release.

“Our goal is keeping this vital American species on the planet,” Martha Fischer, general curator of St. Louis Zoo WildCare Park, which oversees the reserve, told Fox News Digital in an email.

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“The St. Louis Zoo and wildlife organizations across the country have joined together to grow the population of red wolves so that recovery in the wild remains possible,” Fischer said.

The first pup, a female named Otter, was born on April 26, according to the zoo. Her parents, Lava, age 8, and Tyke, age 9, moved to Missouri in late 2023 from another wolf conservation center in New York.

The pups were born in April and May and are “thriving,” the St. Louis Zoo said. (Sara Burran/St. Louis Zoo via AP)

The other three pups – two males named Finn and Obi and a female named Molly – were born on May 4.

The pups are “healthy and thriving,” according to the zoo, and underwent their first checkups in late June.

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Their parents are Ladybird, age 3, and Wilber, age 8, and the three pups are their first offspring, the St. Louis Zoo said.

This was the first breeding season for the American red wolf at the reserve.

Mother Ladybird originated from another wolf conservation facility in Missouri, while father Wilber was brought to the St. Louis Zoo’s wildlife reserve from Homossa Springs Wildlife State Park in Florida, the zoo said.

This was the first breeding season for the American red wolf at the reserve, according to the zoo’s news release.

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“When you consider how few red wolves remain, each birth is an achievement,” Sabarras George, director of the St. Louis Zoo WildCare Park, said in the July release.

“I am incredibly proud of the team who have worked for years to reach this milestone,” he added.

Three of the wolf pups were born to first-time mother Ladybird, the St. Louis Zoo said in a news release. (St. Louis Zoo/TMX)

The pups are “healthy and thriving,” according to the zoo, and underwent their first checkups in late June.

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The American red wolf is the most endangered wolf species in the world, according to the St. Louis Zoo.

The animal is only found in the wild in North Carolina, the zoo said, and there are only slightly more than 300 red wolves left in the world.

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Of the remaining wolves, “about 20” live in the wild, the zoo said.

The other 290 red wolves “live in human care as of May 2024.”

Only about 20 American red wolves live in the wild today, the St. Louis Zoo said. (Getty Images/Sara Burran/St. Louis Zoo via AP)

Including the four pups, 17 American red wolves live at the St. Louis Zoo Sears Lehmann Jr. Wildlife Reserve, according to the release.

The reserve is not open for visitors “to give the 17 resident red wolves privacy, allowing them to maintain natural behaviors and survival skills with limited human interaction.”

The wolf pups will stay with their parents for “at least two years,” according to the release.

After that, they may be sent to other wolf conservation centers to begin packs of their own, or they may be picked to be released into the wild, the release said.

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle

Since the late 1960s, there has been an effort to rebuild the American red wolf population, which was hovering near extinction, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website.

The American red wolf used to live in an area spanning from Texas to New York, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website said.

In the early 1900s, a combination of “intensive predator control programs” as well as “the degradation and alteration of [their] habitat” resulted in the population shrinking rapidly, the website said.

“When the red wolf was first designated as a species that was threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Preservation Act in 1967, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated efforts to conserve and recover the species.”

Christine Rousselle is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.

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Illinois

Pounds, Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles take on the Western Illinois Leathernecks

Published

1 hour ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Pounds, Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles take on the Western Illinois Leathernecks

Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (6-10, 1-4 OVC) at Western Illinois Leathernecks (4-12, 0-5 OVC)

Macomb, Illinois; Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Tennessee Tech faces Western Illinois in OVC action Saturday.

The Leathernecks have gone 3-4 at home. Western Illinois is 3-8 in games decided by 10 or more points.

The Golden Eagles have gone 1-4 against OVC opponents. Tennessee Tech has a 3-8 record against teams over .500.

Western Illinois is shooting 41.2% from the field this season, 2.7 percentage points lower than the 43.9% Tennessee Tech allows to opponents. Tennessee Tech has shot at a 45.6% clip from the field this season, 0.8 percentage points fewer than the 46.4% shooting opponents of Western Illinois have averaged.

The Leathernecks and Golden Eagles match up Saturday for the first time in OVC play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Lucas Lorenzen is averaging 14.9 points for the Leathernecks. Isaiah Griffin is averaging 1.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Mekhi Cameron is scoring 11.3 points per game with 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists for the Golden Eagles. Dani Pounds is averaging 10.7 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 49.3% over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Leathernecks: 3-7, averaging 67.7 points, 32.5 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 6.4 steals and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 40.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.0 points per game.

Golden Eagles: 3-7, averaging 74.5 points, 30.5 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 7.0 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 43.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 83.4 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Indiana

Rematch history in CFP and BCS favors Oregon vs. Indiana in Peach Bowl

Published

1 hour ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Rematch history in CFP and BCS favors Oregon vs. Indiana in Peach Bowl

The College Football Playoff national semifinal at the Peach Bowl marks a rematch of No. 1 seed Indiana’s 30-20 win against No. 5 Oregon in October, the first of several results this year that have left the Hoosiers knocking on the door of a historic and unbeaten season.

With two more wins, Indiana would become the first 16-0 national champion since Yale in 1894. But in order to make history, the Hoosiers will need to reverse some recent history.

Since the 1996 season, there have been seven regular-season rematches in the College Football Playoff and in national championship games played under the two previous postseason formats, the Bowl Championship Series and the Bowl Alliance. Four of these pairings have occurred since the playoff expanded last season.

Surprisingly, all but one of these games have seen the loser from the regular season rebound to win the rematch. This could be a coincidence. At a minimum, though, this trend shows the difficulties in defeating an elite opponent twice in under a four-month span.

The Hoosiers look to buck that recent history. Here’s a look back at these rematches and what they might suggest about the Peach Bowl:

Ole Miss vs. Georgia, 2025

Results: Georgia 43-35, Ole Miss 39-34.

Ole Miss led Georgia in the second half when the two met in October but coughed up a lead for its one and only loss on the year. The two SEC rivals met again in the Sugar Bowl earlier this month, with the Rebels pulling out the win on a late field goal. Unlike during the regular season, Ole Miss landed a big game from Trinidad Chambliss and did much better running the ball, indicating how teams can strategize by looking back and evaluating the previous matchup.

Ole Miss vs. Tulane, 2025

Results: Ole Miss 45-10, Ole Miss 41-10.

Here’s the one outlier. The Rebels stampeded over Tulane at home in September and then did the same in the opening round. The one difference: Lane Kiffin was the head coach for the first game and Pete Golding for the second. In this case, a significant edge in talent was the biggest factor in helping Ole Miss defy recent history.

Oklahoma vs. Alabama, 2025

Results: Oklahoma 23-21, Alabama 34-24.

Again, an SEC rematch that reversed the regular-season result. Oklahoma’s win in November sparked its run to the playoff. That seemed to carry over to the opening round, when the Sooners stormed out to a 17-0 lead. But the Tide crawled back to tie for the biggest comeback in playoff history.

Oregon vs. Ohio State, 2024

Results: Oregon 32-31, Ohio State 41-21.

Oregon narrowly pulled out the win in Autzen Stadium and then went on to post a perfect regular season, earning the top seed in the debut of the expanded playoff. But in the Rose Bowl the Ducks ran into a buzzsaw in the Buckeyes, who stormed out to a 34-0 late in the second quarter and won going away. A year later, Oregon hopes to follow Ohio State’s blueprint and score the upset against the unbeaten Big Ten champs.

Alabama vs. Georgia, 2021

Results: Alabama 42-24, Georgia 33-18.

The Tide knocked off then-unbeaten Georgia in the SEC championship game behind 421 yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Bryce Young. That landed Alabama in the four-team playoff as the No. 1 seed, while Georgia slotted in at No. 3. The pair met in the championship game after beating Cincinnati and Michigan, respectively, and the Bulldogs would hold Young to 6.5 yards per throw and make two picks to take the first of back-to-back titles.

LSU vs. Alabama, 2011

Results: LSU 9-6, Alabama 21-0

The Tigers’ overtime win during the regular season was about as ugly as the score suggests with five field goals being the only scores. The rematch in the title game about two months later wasn’t any better. Alabama’s defense barely allowed LSU to cross midfield in this second meeting to win the second of Nick Saban’s six titles in Tuscaloosa.

Results: Florida State 24-21, Florida 52-20.

No other rematch has come within such a short time frame. FSU topped Florida on Nov. 30 to end the regular season and drew the immediate rematch in the Sugar Bowl, which was designated as the championship game in the Bowl Alliance format, because then-No. 2 Arizona State was obligated to face No. 4 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. This time, Steve Spurrier’s Gators bombarded the Seminoles to capture the first national title in program history with the Sun Devils falling to the Buckeyes.

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Iowa

Iowa Great Lakes businessman Butch Parks dies at 81

Published

1 hour ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Iowa Great Lakes businessman Butch Parks dies at 81

SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa (KTIV) – The Iowa Great Lakes community is remembering Leo “Butch” Parks, a longtime lakes-area businessman and founder of Parks Marina.

He died Tuesday, Jan. 6, at the age of 81.

Parks established the marina on East Lake Okoboji in 1983, growing it from a small fishing boat operation into a business with marinas, sales, service, rentals, storage, and popular destinations like the Barefoot Bar.

Parks and his wife, Debbie, also owned Okoboji Boat Works for 23 years.

Funeral services are set for Friday, Jan. 16, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Spirit Lake. It will be followed by a celebration of life at Snapper’s restaurant in Okoboji that evening.

Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.

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