14
Nov
In the News: Evansville’s Mesker Park Zoo Adds Endangered Mexican Gray Wolves that it Hopes to Breed
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Staffers at Evansville’s zoo are hoping that its new pair of endangered Mexican gray wolves will be good parents as they try to help the species thrive again.
The adult male and female arrived Tuesday at Mesker Park Zoo after a flight from a federal wolf management center in New Mexico, the Evansville Courier & Press reported. Zoo officials say the species has become endangered because of livestock practices and shootings and that fewer than 300 remain in captivity.
Plans are for the two wolves to breed at the Evansville zoo and be foster parents for pups rescued from the wild, said Mesker animal curator Susan Lindsey. The pair had pups in 2010 and 2011.
“This pair of experienced parents will make a significant contribution to the recovery efforts,” said Lindsey, an adviser to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Mexican gray wolf recovery program.
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Lindsey said the Mexican gray wolf is one of the smallest wolves and has the most distinctive markings, including black stripes down their legs.
“I think most people are really struck by how pretty they are,” she said. “Wolves definitely play an important part in our ecosystem in terms of how they control prey … when we lose them from the ecosystem, there’s a great loss for a lot of different animals and plants.”
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Read the full article, with photos, here.
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Nagual and his pack were slated for release into the wild. Unfortunately, the USFWS has not released any new wolves for four years and has apparently now decided not to free Nagual and his mate into the wild where they belong.
Please take action today to persuade the USFWS to release many more wolves before it’s too late. CLICK HERE for talking points and contact information.
