F837 & M805: Love birds?

Although the Mexican Wolf Annual Meeting in Mexico City is coming to a close, the Wolf Conservation Center’s (WCC) curator, Rebecca Bose, couldn’t wait until her return home to share some excellent news! One of the chief items on the meeting’s agenda is the determination of wolf breeding pairs for the 2012 season. During the meeting, the management group establishes which wolves should be bred each year by using software developed for the population management of endangered species. This winter there will be a total of five breeding pairs hosted in the U.S. and the WCC is incredibly honored to be the only facility to house two of the chosen couples!

Mexican wolf M740

Mexican wolves M740 and F749 are a vital pair with the lowest inbreeding coefficient in the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan (MWSSP) program. With outstanding stats such as theirs, we’re all really excited about their potential contribution to the program! M740 is nine years old and has called the WCC home since his transfer from the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, IL in October of 2009. He was paired with Mexican wolf F810 for the past two years but the couple failed to produce pups. F749 is the same age and joined the WCC family in December of 2009 after living at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Wolf Management Facility in New Mexico. The pair has yet to be formally introduced so we’re keep our fingers crossed that they’re a match.

Mexican wolf M805

The occupants of the WCC’s Lobo Exhibit, F837 and M805, will also be given a chance to start a family which will not only benefit the Mexican wolf program, but could also enhance the WCC visitor experience allowing our guests to witness a wolf romance develop and possibly some pups first hand! The two eight-year-olds were first introduced to one another last fall and they’ve been buddies ever since.

All four of these special lobos are genetically valuable individuals and they have been given this opportunity to breed because their offspring will increase the genetic diversity of their rare species and enhance that species’ chance to survive and thrive in the wild. This winter will mark the first opportunity for both of these lucky pairs to breed. I can’t believe I’m saying this but with news like this, winter can’t come fast enough!