F628 (a.k.a. Mrs. T.)is a beautiful 16-yr-old Mexican gray wolf who has called the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) home since fall of 2005. She resides off-exhibit with her companion, Mexican wolf M904 (a.k.a Trip). F628 is the most elusive wolf residing at the WCC, so it’s a near miracle that our curator was able to capture her image. Elusive, swift, resilient – all tokens of her wild past.

HER HISTORY

F628 was born in the wild on May 15, 1999 to the original Pipestem family group. In 2002, U.S. Fish and Wildlife captured both she and her companion in New Mexico’s Gila National Forest after a private landowner complained that the wolves were killing livestock. The couple was the last established pair of Mexican wolves from New Mexico.

Because of the capture of F628, Center for Biological Diversity and other organizations criticized the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management over their failures to address the problem of poor livestock husbandry. Cattle carcasses that remain untreated or left on the wild landscape can lead wolves to seek cattle as food. Thirteen years later, this remains a serious issue as federal agencies still don’t require livestock owners using public lands to take basic steps to prevent conflict. 

Happy Birthday, loba. We wish you could celebrate your sweet 16 in your rightful place on the wild landscape.