Mexican Gray Wolves F837 and M805

 Live Cameras: Enclosure Cam | Den Cam

The WCC was first introduced to F837 in November of 2004 when she and her three sisters were transferred from the Minnesota Zooogical Garden to the WCC as yearlings. Although the wolves are identified by alphanumeric labels – F836, F837, F838, and F839, we called the sisters "the Minnesota Girls."

When the Minnesota Girls arrived, we were relatively new to the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Program and were honored to be a part of the recovery effort. Less than a year later and with much jubilation we received the most exciting news: F837's littermate, F838, was chosen for release to the wild Southwest! Two years later another sibling, F836, also got "the call of the wild." What a thrill to offer these two sisters a life without boundaries and fence-lines, and the task of bringing an ecosystem back to balance. Unfortunately, just a few months after each of the wolves' adventures had begun, both F838 and F836 were illegally killed. Each wolf had only a few months to enjoy their rightful place in the wild. But a few months in the wild was the biggest gift we could have ever given to the girls from Minnesota. If not for some heartless criminals, they could have survived and contributed to the recovery of their species.

F837 and her mate, M805, were introduced in 2010. The two nine-year-old lobos have bonded with one another nicely and they share something in common – each have a littermate who was given the gift of freedom.  M805's brother, Mexican wolf M806, was "Minnesota Girl" F838's original mate! After F838's tragic death, M806 started a new family called the Bluestem Pack and thrived in the wild as the alpha male for six years.

This past breeding season marked the first opportunity for both wolves to breed. Fingers crossed that they prove fruitful in their second season!