Mexican gray wolf F628 (a.k.a. Mrs. T) called the Wolf Conservation Center home for ten years until the beautiful loba passed away in 2015 at the age of 16. She was the most elusive wolf residing at the Center, it was a near miracle that our curator was able to capture her image (above). Elusive, swift, resilient – all tokens of her wild past.

Her Story

F628 was born in the wild on May 15, 1999 to the original Pipestem family group. In 2002, U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) captured her 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.

F628’s removal from the wild prompted organizations like the Center for Biological Diversity to denounce the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management for 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. Fourteen 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.

In honor if #LoboWeek, Lizzy of the WCC P.A.C.K. Fellowship shares the story of Mexican gray wolf F628.