Community Corner

Happy Mother's Day of All Types

This year's Mother's Day observation on the Eureka-Wildwood Patch is dedicated to the moms at the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka. Which one of the following "candidates" is your favorite? Read these tear-jerking stories.

Mother's Day at the in is something about which to howl. Staffers at the center hosted a fun contest this week on their Facebook page that enabled friends to "vote" for one of six Mother's Day candidates: five wolves and one fox.

All likes and comments counted for 10 points for each canid candidate, Facebook shares counted as 25 points and adoptions added 100 points. Following are those candidates, which were nominated to represent various types of females.

INAPA, nominated in honor of all resilient women who’ve overcome hardships and for other hopeful moms to be:
An endangered red wolf named Inapa has the name that in Lakota Sioux means “one who has overcome hardship.” In July of 2007, Inapa was found missing part of her leg. Her injuries were such that her leg, unfortunately, had to be amputated. Already, her trademark resilience began to shine. Like many amazing females who’ve overcome hardships, Inapa has a spirit that cannot be broken, and even with only three legs, nothing slows her down.

In the winter of 2011, Inapa was paired with a handsome male red wolf, and although things looked promising, there were to be no pups in their first year together. The center's staffers are hopeful the couple will have their first litter of endangered red wolf puppies this spring.

Find out what's happening in Eureka-Wildwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

ABBY, nominated in honor of first-time moms:
A beautiful Mexican gray wolf named Abby, one of Anna’s daughters, was born in 2004 into a large litter of pups. Later that year, she suffered a fracture to her rear left leg at the growth plate—a common injury in large breed dogs. Over time, Abby unfortunately filled the role of omega in her pack. Omega wolves are at the bottom of the pack hierarchy, often chased and harassed by the others, and typically the first to leave their pack in the wild.

For her safety and well-being, Abby was moved out of her pack and joined Rocky, a neutered male, as a companion. Abby and Rocky were very good for each other, and were quite active in investigating their enclosure and other neighboring wolves.

In 2009, Abby moved to a new habitat where she met Perkins. The two hit it off and began to build a bond. Abby was at last in a place where she could relax, and had a wonderful mate to look after her. In 2010, Abby gave birth to a litter of five healthy pups. She was an attentive mother and took very good care of the pups, becoming an awesome first-time mom.


PEGGY, nominated in honor of all expectant moms to be:

Peggy, an endangered swift fox, is no stranger to competition. She and her sister had both been hoping to win the attention of the same male suitor for some time, a handsome silver fox several years their senior who, unfortunately, was unable to initiate either of them into motherhood before he passed away in 2010.

That’s when a younger, more suitable suitor appeared on the scene. While most sisters could have had cat fights over such a situation, the animal kingdom takes saving a species seriously—as do we—and the three appear to be quite content sharing their lives together.

Peggy does look to be winning at least one competition, however, as she’s expecting this season. While the center's staffers admit they observed some of their courtship on camera (our first clue), her ravenous appetite was just as much of a give-away. See, while male swift foxes often chase the females away in an attempt to steal their meals, Peggy isn’t having any of that. In fact, after polishing off her own meal, she’s the one chasing her mate away for his!

Find out what's happening in Eureka-Wildwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


MADRE, nominated in honor of single moms and widows:

An endangered Mexican gray wolf, Madre is the alpha female of the Saddle Pack, who was widowed while pregnant in the wild.

She was brought into captivity where she met a new mate and foster father to her pups named Bob. With his help, Madre raised five pups. The Saddle Pack was released back into the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico, where it was hoped they would help the species begin to recover.

Quickly accused of depredation and going outside the wolf recovery area, however, the pack instead became a target of hunters. On two separate occasions, sharp-shooters were certain they had killed Bob, but returned to the site only to find he’d escaped. On one of those instances, his radio collar was shot off, but he miraculously survived, giving the species further hope. Yet the pack’s hope of reclaiming a home in the wild had come to an end.

A permanent removal order was issued, and the Saddle Pack was brought to its new home at the Endangered Wolf Center. Here they were given a very large, natural enclosure with lots of vegetation, and purposefully kept a distance from visitors to help preserve their wild instincts and natural shyness of humans—measures intended to keep the animals safe should they be released one day.

Sadly, Bob passed away last fall due to a fast growing tumor surrounding his neck. The pack howled for several days after his passing, Madre a widow once more. Despite all she’s been through, she and her pack remain strong. She may never return to the wild, but the wild will remain a part of her forever.


ANNA, nominated in honor of grandmothers and matriarchs of large families:

Anna is a very special Mexican gray with a legendary ancestry. Her father, Santa Ana, was a descendent of the Ghost Ranch lineage, one of the last pure Mexican gray wolf packs recovered after the species was declared extinct in the wild in 1980. This came after years of active wolf bounties by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, yet to understand the devastating effects of removing a top predator from an ecosystem. Unfortunately, the Endangered Species Act of 1973’s coverage of this remarkable species came too late.

Santa Ana became an extremely valuable founder in the recovery of the species. After five years of unsuccessful breeding attempts, he was introduced to Tanamara in 2000, but by now Santa Ana was almost 13. For Santa Ana and the recovery of the species, time was running out.

Amazingly, the next spring Tanamara gave birth to a litter of three pups, yet despite her best efforts, she lost two of the pups. The third pup was pulled to be hand-reared, knowing she was too important to the recovery program to risk losing her. Sadly, she was to be Santa Ana’s only offspring, as he passed away later that year. The pup was given the name Anna, and it’s through her that Santa Ana has left his legacy.

Anna is a strikingly beautiful wolf with a dark face and coat reminiscent of her father. As she matured, she was paired with wonderful mates, and has significantly contributed to the Mexican gray wolf recovery with litters that have totaled more than 40 pure Mexican gray pups. Anna has become a wonderful mother, grandmother and matriarch of the center. In her eyes you see her story, and the story of the species she’s so greatly helped save from extinction.


TANAMARA, nominated in honor of all moms and grandmothers who are with us in spirit:

Tanamara, whose name means “lonely wind,” was a very special Mexican gray wolf from the McBride lineage, the last five wolves recovered in 1980 when the species was declared extinct in the wild. In the fall of 2000, Tanamara was placed with Santa Ana, a valuable descendent of the Ghost Ranch lineage who was almost 13 years old and had never bred, despite being paired with suitable mates. Due to his age and her lack of mothering experience, the combination was meant more for companionship.

Miraculously, Tanamara’s encouragement pushed an aged, arthritic male to breed for the first time. The sole surviving offspring, Anna, has become one of the most significant contributors to the recovery of the species.

Tanamara was eventually paired with Picaron, her true lifelong companion, whose deep, baritone howl stood out from the moment he arrived. Their chemistry was instant, and over their years together, the couple substantially contributed to the survival of their species, delivering three litters of pups. In 2009, Tanamara passed away. When she died, Picaron howled for so long and so often that he permanently damaged his vocal cords. His life, and his magnificent howl, were never the same without her. Earlier this year, Picaron passed away.

The Endangered Wolf Center is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Eureka-Wildwood