Endangered Species Born At Elmwood Has Only 3,000 Individuals Left

NORRISTOWN, PA — Elmwood Park Zoo is at the center of a global effort to try to give a little life to a rapidly declining endangered species.

Three new members of a critically endangered species, the Chacoan peccary, were born over the weekend.

The rare species of peccary was thought to be extinct as recently as 1971, according to wildlife biologists. Elmwood and other zoos around the country have joined in a combined Species Survival Program, though it's believed there are only about 3,000 Chacoans extant today.

The species is found in the wild only in the Grand Chaco region of South America, a hot and dry desert-like environment covering parts of Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina.

The peclets are healthy and reportedly settling in to their new environs, though the small stretch of their enclosure will not be open to public viewing for a few days.

"The path to the peccary enclosure will be closed through this weekend as our little ones continue to become familiar with their new home," the zoo said in an announcement.