The recent studies show that the larger predators are picking them off.
More puppies would mean more survivors.
More puppies mean more sentries and defenders and hunters.
The reality is what it is.
*sigh*
But since ONLY the alpha pair breeds, the number of pups per pack available at any given time remains fixed.
They have a complex and immutable social construct that they can’t just “change” based on statistics that they can’t even understand.
That reality is what it is