The Museum of Life and Science's red wolf family has a new home.

On Thursday morning, the family of six endangered red wolves made the successful transfer to the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, N.Y., the Durham museum announced. The wolves, including four pups born at the museum in late April, made the move by van. Museum staff traveled with them, checking in on them every four hours to ensure they were doing fine. The family will remain together for another breeding season at the New York conservation center.

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In their place, a new breeding pair will make their home in the museum's wolf habitat. The pair - a male born in May 2010 at the Wolf Conservation Center who has sired two litters of pups - and a female - born in August 2014 at N.C. State's College of Veterinary Medicine, who was later transferred to the N.C. Zoo - has arrived at the museum. They should be on display in the next couple of weeks once they have adjusted to their new surroundings.

All red wolves living at the museum are a part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Red Wolf Recovery Program and the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan, a collaborative breeding and management program developed by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums to ensure the sustainability of endangered animal populations, according to a museum press release. Once a top predator throughout the southeastern United States and one of only two apex predators native to North Carolina, the red wolf is critically endangered with captive and wild populations totaling less than 300 individuals.

The museum announced in September that the family would move to a bigger space at the New York conservation center. The pups had delighted museum visitors - and caused a little excitement back in June when three of them briefly escaped. Since they were born, the museum has been sharing updates, videos and photos about their health and exploits, such as learning how to howl. You can see them grow up in this image gallery.

Before the museum's original wolf family left the museum, each received a hands-on veterinary check to verify health and collect samples for three research projects -- a genetic mapping project; a project investigating Irritable Bowel Disease in red wolves; and an ongoing study led by N.C. State's College of Veterinary Medicine that examines progressive retinal atrophy, a degenerative disease causing vision loss and blindness in red wolves, according to a press release.

The research into progressive retinal atrophy could not only improve life for wolves, but also for humans. Data from red wolves involved in the study has the potential to help researchers better understand the genetics of numerous degenerative eye diseases affecting millions in the United States, the press release said.

“The responsibility of participating in this type of conservation effort means we are charged with not only providing a high level of care for those wolves currently in our care, but we have a responsibility to do the same for future generations too,” said Sherry Samuels, the museum's animal department director and member of the Red Wolf SSP Management Team. “Continually investigating the threats and diseases facing this fragile species is a key part in ensuring there are red wolves in the future.”

Families who want to check in on the museum's original wolf family can find them on the Wolf Conservation Center's webcam.