Wolf Conservation Center Welcomes New Mexican Wolf to the Pack!
Meet Mexican gray wolf F1435, a.k.a. “Magdalena.” The beautiful yearling arrived at the WCC last night, safe and sound at after a seamless day of travel from the Brookfield Zoo.
She’s currently settling in adjacent to Mexican wolf M1198 (a.k.a. Alléno) to allow the pair to get to know one another through the enclosure’s dividing fence. They’ll be officially introduced to one another later this season.
The WCC is currently home to 10 critically endangered Mexican gray wolves – they represent the Center’s active participation in an effort to save the species from extinction.
The WCC is one of 54 facilities in the U.S. and Mexico participating in the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan – a bi-national initiative whose primary purpose is to support the reestablishment of Mexican wolves in the wild through captive breeding, public education, and research.
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.
Mexican Gray Wolves Need your Help
Next month protection for his species will be decided by politicians in Washington, D.C. Wolves don’t have a voice when it comes to endangered species policy. But we do.
Please urge your respective senators and President Obama to OPPOSE extinction riders taking aim at wolves.
In order to fund the federal government, Congress must finalize a spending deal. Unfortunately dozens of anti-environmental riders are embedded in the must-pass spending legislation, including some that eliminate Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections ALL gray wolves nationwide – including critically endangered Mexican gray wolves.