Rare Wolf Pup Born at WCC Joins Wild Family

On May 3, 2022, Mexican gray wolf Trumpet gave birth to three pups at the Wolf Conservation Center, each no larger than one pound in size. Although all similar in appearance and genetic lineage, one lucky pup was destined for a much different home – the wilds of New Mexico.

The WCC is one of more than 50 institutions 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. Beyond being cute, the pups represent the WCC’s participation in an active effort to save their species from extinction.

On May 12, the largest of the litter, a female pup nicknamed Crumbo, was flown to New Mexico and successfully placed in the den of the Iron Creek wild wolf pack, where the breeding female had recently given birth to her own litter. Cross-fostering is a coordinated event where captive-born pups are introduced into a similar-aged wild litter to be raised by surrogate parents.

Mexican gray wolves continue to be threatened by the lack of genetic diversity in the wild population. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the wild population’s mean kinship (MK) is approximately 0.24. This means that, on average, “individuals within the population are as related to one another as full siblings.”

So, addressing the wild population’s genetic imperilment requires an active program of releasing captive wolves into the wild to capitalize on the remaining genetic potential available in the more genetically diverse captive population.

USFWS intends to continue relying on the cross-foster method alone to improve genetic diversity and reduce extinction risks for wild Mexican gray wolves. The agency aims to ensure that 22 cross-fostered pups survive through their second year of life. However, unless those cross-fostered wolves successfully reproduce, those animals have zero impact on the wild population’s genetic health.

Since USFWS’s cross-fostering initiative began in 2014, four cross-fostered wolves have reproduced in the wild, and others showed signs of denning behavior this spring. To build on this success, USFWS could return to other proven methods to stave off genetic imperilment. Resuming the release of family groups (well-bonded male-female pairs with pups) from captivity offers a more immediate solution to the population’s pressing genetic crisis.

“We’re honored to be a part of this important recovery mission,” stated WCC Curator Rebecca Bose. “The collaboration among all who had a hand in delivering Crumbo to her wild family is a true testament to the dedication of everyone involved.” In addition to USFWS, other collaborating agencies in the recovery program include Arizona Game and Fish Department, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Lands Office, U.S. Forest Service, and the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan, as well as private organizations.

For two decades, the WCC has been a critical partner in the Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program, and to date, three adult Mexican gray wolves from the center have been released in the wild. Crumbo is the second Mexican gray wolf pup to leave the WCC to join a wild family.

“Unbeknownst to all wild lobos in Mexico and the U.S., a lot of people are rooting them on and working hard to advance their recovery,” stated Maggie Howell, WCC executive director. “Although Crumbo might not understand it, she brings hope for a healthier, more peaceful, and wilder world.”

Why Crumbo?

Crumbo was named in honor of Kim Crumbo, a huge proponent of rewilding, compassionate conservation, and protecting the diversity of life. Over the course of two decades, Kim Crumbo worked as a National Park Service river ranger, resource management specialist, and wilderness coordinator in Grand Canyon National Park, as well as a park ranger. He retired from the park service in 1999 and spent years advocating for Mexican gray wolf recovery. He tragically disappeared while on a camping trip in Yellowstone National Park in 2021.

As a living, breathing part of the wild southwest, Crumbo can carry Kim’s legacy forward. Beyond her potential to further the recovery of her imperiled species, Crumbo’s paws on the ground can help people care deeply about places they will never visit and wildlife they will never see. Crumbo is helping to rewild our world. Like Kim, she can help rewild our hearts and minds too.

For two decades, the WCC has been a critical partner in the Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program, and to date, three adult Mexican gray wolves from the center have been released in the wild. Crumbo is the second Mexican gray wolf pup to leave the WCC to join a wild family.

“Unbeknownst to all wild lobos in Mexico and the U.S., a lot of people are rooting them on and working hard to advance their recovery,” stated Maggie Howell, WCC executive director. “Although Crumbo might not understand it, she brings hope for a healthier, more peaceful, and wilder world.”

Mexican gray wolf Trumpet and her pups are not on public exhibit, but live webcams, available on the WCC website, invite an unlimited number of viewers to enter the private lives of these elusive families.

Background

The Mexican gray wolf 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 Mexican gray wolves 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. Current estimates put the wild population at 196 in the United States.