By Maria Hickey, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – A wolf sanctuary outside St. Louis is seeing a boom in its Mexican gray wolf population.
Two pups were born last weekend at the Wild Canid Center in Eureka. Within the next two weeks three more pups are expected.
Those births will be especially important, since it's the first time the endangered species were impregnated using a non-invasive artificial insemination technique.
Assistant Director Kim Scott says the procedure could eventually be used among wolves in the wild.
"It's much safer, there are no surgical incisions, and it only takes moments," Scott said.
The Center had tried the technique unsuccessfully for two years before bringing in a Norwegian scientist, who usually works with domestic dogs.
Scott says with the birth of the pups the center will have more than 30 Mexican gray wolves.