Little Lobo Takes On Critical Role in Mexican Wolf Recovery
At 16 weeks old, f1508 (a.k.a. KB) is a lobo with the weight of the world on her shoulders. This pup is one of three siblings born at the Wolf Conservation Center this season and takes on the critical role in re-establishing the Mexican wolf in the wild through captive breeding, public education, and research. The captive lobo population is the sole source of Mexican wolves available to re-establish the species in the wild – their true home.
Here’s hoping that f1508 gets the call of the wild one day in her future. These wolves do not belong in zoos and enclosures. As top predators they are desperately needed to fulfill an important role in the wild.
Background
The Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) or “lobo” is the most genetically distinct lineage of wolves in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the most endangered mammals in North America. By the mid-1980s, hunting, trapping, and poisoning caused the extinction of lobos in the wild, with only a handful remaining in captivity. In 1998 the wolves were reintroduced into the wild as part of a federal reintroduction program under the Endangered Species Act. Today in the U.S., there is a single wild population comprising only 97 individuals – a decrease from 110 counted at the end of 2014.
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