Endangered Wolf Center Marks Historic Moment

The Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka is marking the 15th anniversary of a historic event in which it played a huge role.

Fifteen years ago this week, the first Mexican gray wolves – a species that was declared extinct in the wild – were reintroduced to the wild.

A number of wolf conservation programs are planning special events to mark that occasion during "Lobo Week." Among them is the Endangered Wolf Center, which can lay claim to something special:  All Mexican gray wolves in the wild today can trace their roots back to the Center.

Between 1977 and 1980, the last five Mexican gray wolves known to exist in the wild were captured as part of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program to preserve them, and the species was declared extinct in the wild in 1980. 

But 18 years later – on March 29, 1998 – 11 Mexican gray wolves in three packs were released in Arizona, thanks to captive breeding programs at facilities like the Endangered Wolf Center. The Center serves as the cornerstone  of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s efforts.  Nine of the 11 wolves in that first release were from the Endangered Wolf Center.

Today, about 75 Mexican gray wolves are known to exist in the wild in the United States and Mexico.  About 250 more live in 33 facilities in the United States and 15 in Mexico.  It’s still considered the most endangered wolf in the world.

To mark the 15th anniversary of that first release, the Center will make the Mexican gray wolf the focus of its tours and events from Thursday, March 28, through Sunday, March 31.

The Center will hold three Campfire Wolf Howls and has five regularly scheduled daytime tours over those four days. Private tours are also available. The Mexican gray wolf will be the centerpiece of each, with staff members and tour guides sharing details with visitors about the species in general and specific wolves living at the Center.

The Endangered Wolf Center has 20 Mexican gray wolves in its population of 33 canids, which also include red wolves, maned wolves, swift foxes and African painted dogs.

“The Mexican gray wolf is one of the most charismatic animals I have ever worked with,” said Regina Mossotti, the Center's Animal Care Director. “They are so interesting, their pack dynamics and drama are so similar to our own families.  The parents and older siblings teach the younger generation, they discipline, share, protect, provide, and work with each other.  It is truly a gift to be able to study them and help protect them.”

The Center is a non-profit organization, and depends solely on memberships, donations and income from its tours and events for funding. Reservations for daytime Preda-Tours and evening Campfire Wolf Howls are required and easily obtained by calling 636-938-5900. Information about those events is available on the Center’s website: www.endangeredwolfcenter.org