Today marks the 7th anniversary since captive born Mexican gray wolves F838 and M806 were restored to their ancestral home in the wilds of the Southwest.  The Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) was first introduced to F838 in November of 2004 when she and her three sisters were transferred from the Minnesota Zooogical Garden to the WCC as yearlings. Our Center was selected to care for these wolves as a participant in the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan (MWSSP). We had the enclosure space available and the luxury of allowing them to reside off exhibit in a natural environment with minimal human contact.

When the sisters arrived, we were relatively new to the MWSSP program and were honored to be a part of the recovery effort. Less than a year later and with much jubilation we received the most exciting news: F838 (pictured) was chosen for release to the wild Southwest!  F838 was introduced to male Mexican wolf M806, and a number of months later on July 6, 2006, the pair and their two 12-week-old pups, dubbed the Meridian Pack, were placed in a temporary mesh holding pen in eastern Arizona.  Likely aware of the freedom just beyond the mesh, the pack eagerly freed themselves within twenty-four hours ready to bring an ecosystem back to balance.

Only two captive born lobos have be since been successfully released into the wild. The lobos are ready and the wild is calling, it’s time to release some wolves.

For more resources about the Mexican gray wolf and what you can do to assist in their recovery, please visit Mexicanwolves.org