CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN ZOO

Introduction
Intensive predator removal efforts from the late-1800s to the mid-1900s extirpated the Mexican wolf from the wild in the United States portion of its range. The Mexican gray wolf was listed as "endangered" on the Federal List of Threatened and Endangered Species in 1976. Its presence in the wild in Mexico has not been confirmed since 1980.

Mexican wolves were rescued from extinction when the last few individuals were brought into captivity by the USFWS.  These five founder animals reproduced very successfully to allow a current reintroduction program

There are only about 200 Mexican wolves in the world. Most are part of a captive breeding program in 40 zoos and wildlife sanctuaries located in the United States and Mexico to prevent extinction of the subspecies. In March 1998, the first 11 Mexican wolves from captive stock were reintroduced into the wild in the Apache National Forest in southeastern Arizona under a program to re-establish the subspecies to a portion of its historic range.

As of the end of March, 2004, the wild population consisted of 19 wolves with radio collars in nine packs, three groups, and four single wolves.

Project Description
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo designed and built its Mexican Wolf exhibit and holding area "Wolf Woods" in 1994. Its first residents were three brother wolves.

In December of 1995 we acquired our first female to pair with one of the males.  The other males were shipped to other zoos.  The pair bred that first season in 1996, but no pups were observed.

The first litter produced was in 1997, a male and two females. CMZ’s first wolf pack was born!  A second litter in 1998 of three males and three females created a crowded, but lively, exhibit.  Some wolves were soon sent to a pre-conditioning facility to prepare for release to the wild.  One female was very successful producing a litter in the pens and then being a successful alpha female of her released pack.

By 2002 our alpha female had become geriatric and arthritic to the point of needing humane euthanasia.  We now house an all male pack of wolves.  We hope to work with the SSP to acquire another breeding pair in the future. Wolf Woods area is temporarily closed due to construction and remodeling to the area that will become apart of the new Rocky Mountain Wild exhibit in Summer 2008.

We hosted the 1995 International Mexican Wolf SSP meeting here in Colorado Springs.  In 2000, Dr. Della Garelle attended the annual SSP meeting in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Scientific Name:  Canis lupus baileyi

Class: Mammalia   Order: Carnivora   Family: Canidae

Geographic Range:  New World; North America; Mexico to Colorado, last seen in the wild in the Sierra Madre mountains and adjoining tableland regions of north and central Mexico. Southernmost representative of the American grey wolf, currenyly extinct in the wild except for a few released animals.

Habitat:  Transitional zones of open oak and pine montane woodlands, above desert scrub areas (coyote) and below steep pine forested peaks (puma).

Physical Characteristics:  Smallest in size of the American wolves.  Fifty to ninety pounds, 4½-5½ feet in length (nose to tail) and 26-32 inches high at the shoulder.  The skull is small with a narrow muzzle and widely spreading cheekbones (zygomata).  The dentition is rather light.  The usual color is less grayish than other American wolves and often has distinct coat patterns on the face and legs.

Adaptations:  Small family groups of 4-6 consisting of mated pairs and their offspring.  The group works together to bring down prey.  Shy and secretive.  Ranges are 100 to several hundred square miles.  Single wolves and smaller groups are not unusual.

Ecological Niche:  Nocturnal.  Secondary consumer.

Reproduction:  Sexually mature at 3 years.  Alpha pair breed once a year in February or March producing a litter of 4-6 pups after a gestation of about 63 days.  Once weaned, the pups are the responsibility of the whole pack and may be fed regurgitated meat by any of the adults or sub-adults.

Predator/prey:  Prey on elk, deer, pronghorn, javelina and rodents.  Predator is man.

Conservation:  Endangered.  Extirpated from the U.S. in the late 1920's by systematic government-sponsored hunting, trapping and poisoning, also by the loss of natural prey due to degradation of grasslands by drought and overgrazing of domestic livestock.  Mexico began the same program of eradication in the 1930's, and border patrols were established targeting wolves crossing over into the U.S.  Reintroduction is currently underway in the Gila National Forest and Blue Range Mountains of Arizona and New Mexico.
 

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4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road Colorado Springs, CO  80906 Phone(719)633-9925  Fax (719)633-2254