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Growing wolf pack at California Wolf Center helping species make comeback

Earlier this summer, News 8 introduced you to a rare litter of gray wolf pups born at the California Wolf Center in Julian. Now we have an update on the special bundle of joy.

SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) — Earlier this summer, News 8 introduced you to a rare litter of gray wolf pups born at the California Wolf Center in Julian.

Now we have an update on the special bundle of joy.

When we last saw Poppy and Tulici, they were only a few weeks old; now approaching five months the North American Gray Wolves are thriving.

"They are already about 50 pounds,” said John Murtaugh at the California Wolf Center. “They get along really well with the whole family.”

Murtaugh, the center's outreach manager, says the rambunctious youngsters are integrating well with their extended relatives.

While in the continental U.S. there are only about 5,000 North American Gray Wolves, here in California there is only one pack living in the wild.

Far more critically endangered on a global scale are the Mexican wolves, with about 114 currently existing in the wild.

Last year, the center welcomed a litter of Mexican gray wolves, a couple of which were then placed as newborns into a den of wild pups in Arizona through a technique called "cross fostering."

"The good news is that wolves can't count, so mom comes home she sees a couple of extra pups and she jumps right in and takes care of them,” said Murtaugh.

The CWC offers a chance to learn about the plight of these creatures.

“Come out, learn a little bit more about the wolves that we're hoping will be coming home to California,” said Murtaugh.

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