Tanamara and Santa Ana, a Ghost Ranch lineage Mexican gray wolf that had never reproduced, were not expected to breed, due to Santa Ana’s advanced age and poor health. However, we were hopeful that they might surprise us. Much to everyone’s delight, Tanamara did get pregnant and gave birth to two females and one male on April 22, 2001. The male and one female did not survive leaving Anna, a lone female, to be hand-raised by the Wild Canid Center staff. Anna is considered one of the most genetically valuable wolves in the Mexican gray wolf recovery program. She was named Anna, after her father, who passed away on July 26, 2001. She had her first breeding opportunity in 2003 with her first mate, Prietito, an experienced male. Together they successfully reared eight pups and went on to breed in 2004 producing ten more pups. In 2005 Anna and her new mate, Dude produced a litter of 12 puppies; the largest litter ever recorded in this species. It is not surprising that a few of the pups were lost in the first few days. Five males and four females survived and thrived. Anna has successfully contributed to the Mexican gray wolf population by producing 27 pups, one of which has been successfully released into the wild.

Nagual’s name is Aztec and means “manifestation of spirit and knowledge.” This handsome Mexican gray wolf, was born May 4, 2005 as a result of one of the first ever successful artificial inseminations in Mexican gray wolves.

After his mother, Nakomis, had been inseminated with semen from a Mexican gray wolf named Dude, she was paired with Laredo, a two-year-old male, to serve as a surrogate father to her litter of four puppies. In the fall of 2005, Laredo left the Center to be released into the wild and a year later, Nagual’s three female siblings went to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas.

Nagual and his mother Nakomis continued to live together here at the Center until the fall of 2007, when it was discovered that Nakomis had developed a large aggressive growth. Since the growth was malignant and inoperable, the only humane option was to euthanize Nakomis.

Nagual has adjusted to life without his mother and in fact topped the scales this year as our largest male Mexican gray wolf weighing in at 86 pounds. Nagual carries on his mother’s legacy through his wildness and strength and looks forward to bone day just as much as Nakomis did.

For those of you who have adopted Nakomis through our Adopt-A-Wolf program, we will continue to send you updates on her son, Nagual. However, you may adopt a different animal for the remainder of your membership if you so choose. Please give us a call and let us know if you choose to change your adoption animal.

Mischa, a female maned wolf, was born on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2005 at the Conservation and Research Center at Washington D.C.’s National Zoo. Mischa came to the Wild Canid Center in the fall of 2006 to be paired with Keegan because Mischa’s genetics are very important and Keegan was a proven father. Keegan’s calmer disposition and the seclusion of our enclosures made the Wild Canid Center an ideal new home for Mischa.

Mischa adjusted well to her new home and Keegan took over the dominant position. Mischa is quite the huntress, regularly catching any prey foolish enough to enter their enclosure. Of course Keegan expected his share of anything Mischa caught, and she generally gave in.

In the winter of 2007, Keegan passed away leaving Mischa without a mate or puppies. Mischa has adjusted to life without Keegan. Although she is enjoying her solitude we are hopeful that she will receive a new mate soon. Mischa looks forward to days on which rats are fed and enjoys hunting in her pond.

Rocky was born in the spring of 2001 in the Blue Range Recovery Area of New Mexico. This was the first litter to be born in the wild in New Mexico in decades. Due to a drought, the den that his wild-born mother chose did not have access to water. Through radio collar signals it was known that the mother had not left the den for days. When the United States Fish & Wildlife Service went in to check, Rocky’s sister was already dead, and Rocky was severely dehydrated and malnourished. Both mother and son were taken to the Albuquerque Zoo for immediate treatment and once stabilized, they were transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sevilleta Wolf Management Facility. Eventually, Rocky was flown to the Wild Canid Center and placed in a foster situation to be reared by his great-grandfather. Due to his “rocky” start to life, he suffers from nutritional cataracts causing him to be completely blind in one however, this resilient boy does not let this challenge slow him down.

Abby was born April 11, 2004 and by September of 2004, she suffered a fracture to her rear left leg as a result of jumping off the top of den boxes. Abby had to have pins put in and a cast applied to her broken leg. She remained separate from her pack for a short time then two of her siblings joined her with similar injuries. Once healed, the three were returned to their pack. Over time Abby’s mother Anna decided that Abby was a threat to her alpha status and would often chase her, causing her limp to return. It was decided to move Abby out of the pack and in the spring of 2005, Rocky and Abby were paired for companionship. The two have proven to be good for each other and are a very active and curious pair.

Picaron , a Ghost Ranch x McBride cross Mexican gray wolf was born on May 3, 1998 at Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In January of 2002, Picaron came to the Wild Canid Center after living at three other facilities in succession. Picaron has had a history of being a very dominant male towards other males as well as towards his mates. This made it difficult to place him appropriately with other wolves. He was transferred to the Wild Canid Center for behavioral and reproductive evaluation and to hopefully become a successful parent. After evaluation, he was paired with Tanamara, a female born and raised at the Wild Canid Center. Tanamara proved to be the perfect match for Picaron, our largest male wolf. Tanamara was aggressive enough to stand up to him, yet knew when to submit. They make quite a pair patrolling the fence line any time there is the slightest activity in any of their neighbors’ enclosures, hackles up and tails straight in the typical dominance postures. In the spring of 2003, Tanamara delivered a litter of six pups. Three females and two males survived. In 2004, Picaron and Tanamara had three more pups. The only surviving pup, a female, has proven to be a handful for Tanamara. She is as bold and stubborn as her father yet as quick and agile as her mother. In 2005 Picaron and Tanamara were successful once again, producing a litter of two males and six females. All of us here at the Wild Canid Center are very proud of Picaron’s fathering abilities and hope for Picaron and Tanamara’s continued breeding success.

Frijole, a Mexican gray wolf, was born on May 10, 1995 at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Due to a medical condition that her mother suffered from, Frijole was hand reared. She arrived at the Wild Canid Center in December 1995. Alano was born at the Wild Canid Center to Francisco and Sheila on May 7, 1992. The bond between Frijole and Alano was immediate and strong. Their habit of lying close to each other, nuzzling, and walking side-by-side have made them a favorite pair among our volunteers and visitors. They bred successfully during their first breeding season together and Frijole became pregnant for the first time. Unfortunately that litter only survived a few days. It is not unusual for a first time mother to lose her litter due to lack of experience. Frijole is one of the most genetically important females in the Mexican gray wolf population. To increase her chances of having pups, the Wild Canid Center, with assistance from a Norwegian veterinarian, artificially inseminated Frijole. On May 1, 2005, Frijole gave birth to one male and two female pups. They were pulled for partial hand rearing and then returned to Alano to rear when they were weaned. Frijole was reunited with Alano and the puppies that fall. This was the first time artificial insemination was successful with Mexican gray wolves. Frijole is now retired from breeding; however, in early 2007, to preserve her important genetics, the Wild Canid Center worked with a local reproductive specialist to collect and freeze her oocytes for future use. She was also spayed during this process, which may prolong her life. Frijole and Alano share their enclosure with their son Perkins. It is not uncommon to spot Alano and Frijole lying side by side with Perkins playing around them.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of one of our dearest Mexican gray wolves, Alano. On May 7 th Alano celebrated his 16 th birthday. Sixteen years is an almost unheard of life even in captivity. Alano was the oldest wolf in the Mexican wolf captive population. Sadly on May 11 th Alano began to have trouble walking on his “good” front legs; he had long had difficulty with his rear legs. On May 12 th just hours after morning medication, he was found lying next to his pond unable to get up. Senior staff was forced to make the difficult decision to euthanize Alano. He will be greatly missed by the Wild Canid Center staff, volunteers and most of all, his pack.

For those of you who have adopted Alano and Frijole as a pair, we will continue to update you on Frijole. Frijole will now be adoptable as an individual Mexican gray wolf.

The red wolf (Canis rufus), known as the “All -American” wolf, is a distinctly different species from the gray wolf. The range of the red wolf covered the southeastern United States, including the lower portions of Missouri and Illinois. By 1980, the red wolf was considered extinct in the wild with only 14 remaining and only a few remaining in captivity. The Wild Canid Center received its first pair of red wolves in 1981. In 1987, a Wild Canid Center-born red wolf was one of the first eight animals reintroduced into the wild in North Carolina. She was the first to reproduce successfully outside the captive breeding program. The red wolf release program has been successful for over 20 years. The howls of the red wolf can be heard at the Wild Canid Center celebrating the red wolf’s triumphant return to the wild.

The swift fox (Vulpes velox) received its common name from early Western settlers because of its speed and agility. Weighing four to six pounds, the swift fox is about the size of a house cat. This tiny, elusive fox historically ranged from central Alberta, Canada southward through the Great Plains to west-central Texas. During the last century, swift foxes have been eliminated from over two-thirds of their original range. The population in Canada has been listed as endangered and in the U.S. the population of the swift fox is restricted to a narrow north-south band cutting across Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. In lieu of the current federal listing under the Endangered Species Act, a coalition among representatives of the 10 states has formed a Swift Fox Conservation Team that has adopted a Conservation Strategy Plan. The Wild Canid Center’s pair of swift foxes are part of a breeding program to secure swift fox numbers in captivity and to supplement existing wild populations. In the winter of 2005 two of their offspring, born here, were transferred to Canada to participate in a release program.