Page 17 - Gateways_Winter_2021-2022-flip_Neat

Practically no human-animal contact, including training developmental stage that is the best time to cross-foster.
sessions, are allowed to prevent the wolves from becoming “It’s done before they fully bond with the mother,”
accustomed to humans. Contact with people is the main cause said Daniels, “within 10 days after the birth when the
of death among wolves in the wild. pups’ eyes are still closed.”
The original focus of the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program Female wolves in managed care and in the wild are
was to breed and raise Mexican wolves in managed-care facilities closely monitored for pregnancy. When the whelping
for direct release into the wild. However, said Daniels, “many dates of two females—one in a facility and one in the
of the animals released were immediately killed by people.” wild—coincide, cross-fostering is possible.
The killing and interfering with the wolves have continued, In 2017, Brookfield Zoo participated in a “full cross-
violations of federal and state laws with penalties of up to fostering.” Several pups born at Brookfield Zoo (Dennis
$50,000 in fines and/or a year in jail. “People still view them and Connie) were placed in a wild den site in New Mexico.
as predators of their livestock and a threat to their livelihoods Two wild pups from that den (Mateo and Springer) were
and their families.” brought here to be fostered by parents at the zoo. Both
Cross-fostering became part of the Mexican Wolf Recovery litters did well, and were accepted and raised by their
Program in 2014 and it may become a preferred method of foster parents.
releasing wolves to the recovery area. Pups cross-fostered
in the wild by wild parents seem to have a better chance Creating A Genetically
of survival than human-raised animals released as adults. Healthy Population
About half of the negative interactions people have with
wolves involve newly released wolves, but not so much the Saving Mexican wolves from extinction is not just a matter
pups. “The pups that grow up with a wolf family in the of increasing their numbers. They are the most genetically
wild already know how to avoid interaction with people,” unique subspecies of gray wolf. With a small population of
said Daniels. In addition, she said, “the cross-fostering puppies animals, such as the few remaining Mexican wolves, inbreeding
are put into den sites that are very remote and located away could occur, which diminishes the gene pool. Maximizing
from civilization. So they have a better chance of not the diversity of the gene pool is vitally important to ensuring
encountering people.” the long-term survival of a species. Placing pups that are
For cross-fostering to be successful, timing is everything. descendants of genetically underrepresented lineages into
After doing research, scientists determined the critical wild packs boosts the genetic diversity in the wild population.

Above: 2017 Wolf Pack at Regenstein Wolf Woods

BROOKFIELD ZOO | WINTER 2021/22 17