A red wolf from Wolf Haven International in Tenino has been released into the wild in North Carolina with several other wolves from other care facilities in a collaborative effort that marked the first adult release of the critically endangered species since 1998.
The zoos and conservation centers that house these red wolves manage them in a way that allows them to retain natural instincts that will help them survive in the wild.
The other three adult wolves came from the Endangered Wolf Center in Missouri and Wolf Haven International in Washington state, and the four pups came from the Akron Zoo, according to a press release Wednesday from the Endangered Wolf Center.
While their howls once rung throughout the woodlands of the southeastern United States, red wolves were nearly driven extinct in the early 20th century by the combined effects of predator control and residential development programs.
A red wolf from Wolf Haven International, which is based in Tenino, was released into the wild with several other wolves from other care facilities in a collaborative effort that marked the first adult release of the critically endangered species since 1998.
Five-week-old red wolf pups had begun exploring outside their den at Wolf Haven. June 2016
Mexican wolf pups
Furry pile of pups sleeping in their underground den.
The cycle of life continues at Wolf Haven, and in the spring, we welcomed Mexican wolf pups to the sanctuary. As partner in a captive breeding program for these critically endangered animals, genetically valuable wolves at our sanctuary are sometimes recommended for breeding. This past season, our Mexican wolf pair F1422 and M1360 (in-house names Vida and Kochi) became the parents of a large litter when Vida whelped in late April.
Lobos – A Wolf Family Returns to the Wild
This children’s book about a family of Mexican gray wolves (lobos) is a follow-up to Wolf Haven: Sanctuary and the Future of Wolves in North America, (2016, Sasquatch Books). It is a hopeful conservation story about a family of endangered Mexican wolves who begin their lives at Wolf Haven, are transferred to Ted Turner’s Ladder Ranch in New Mexico, and ultimately released into the wild in Mexico.
The nonfiction story by Brenda Peterson is illustrated with color photography by Annie Marie Musselman, both of whom were the principals behind the earlier Wolf Haven book. With easy to read text and heart-warming pictures, young people will enjoy learning about wolves and the challenge of reintroducing an endangered species to the wild. Lobos is scheduled for release in mid-August 2018, and prerelease orders can be placed with Amazon, Sasquatch Books, Penguin Random House and other sellers. It will also be available at Wolf Haven’s physical gift shop and website following publication.
You can read reviews of both books here:
Lobos: A Wolf Family Returns to the Wild
Wolf Haven: Sanctuary and the Future of Wolves in North America
by Kim Young, Director of Communications
(This revised article was originally published in Summer 2018 issue of Wolf Tracks,
a Wolf Haven International members-only magazine)
With the addition of pups, rescues, and Species Survival Plan wolves, we provided care for a howling chorus of 62 wolves and wolfdogs plus two lively coyotes. A record number of animals – 64 – reside at Wolf Haven.