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Sibi [See-bee], arrived from the USFWS Sevilleta facility
in New Mexico. She was accompanied to Brookfield Zoo
by her 2-year-old daughter, Vivilette. Sibi and Amigo have
a breeding recommendation for 2021-22. Should Wolves Remain
Sibi’s back story is a testament to the hardship experienced on the Endangered
by Mexican wolves in the wild. She was born at the San Cayetano
preserve in Mexico in 2012 and then moved to the Endangered Species List?
Wolf Center in Missouri. When she arrived at the Center, staff
there noticed she was limping. A veterinary exam with radio- In October 2020, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service removed gray
graphs revealed foreign particles, which turned out to be buck wolves—with the exception of the Mexican gray wolf—from
shot, in her wrist and several areas of her body. The buck shot the list of animals protected under the Endangered Species Act.
could not be safely removed. The federal and many state governments and other groups
Although her injuries have healed with time, she occasionally argued that conservation programs have worked so well that
limps on her front leg where there is a permanent swelling. gray wolves in the lower 48 states are no longer threatened
Nevertheless, she has been an attentive and caring mother.
or endangered.
State governments and Native American tribal communities
Pups cross-fostered in the wild were granted authority to regulate the population size of wolves
in their areas. Some states have staged annual hunting events
by wild parents have a better to reduce the wolf population—sometimes below the minimum
chance of survival than number of wolves necessary to sustain the population, as recom-

human-raised animals mended by wildlife biologists.
Some conservation groups have taken the government to
released as adults. court in an effort to have the gray wolf relisted. Despite some
successful reintroductions of wolves to wild areas, they argue
that wolves occupy only a tiny fraction of their former range.
Program Success Stories Furthermore, they say, the health and long-term survival of

the species depends on having a large enough population
Many of the zoo’s wolves have fared much better. “Brookfield in the wild to ensure a healthy gene pool.
Zoo has had some wonderful successes with our wolves going Furthermore, the survival of other wildlife species and the
out into the wild and surviving through cross-fostering,” health of ecosystems depend on the presence of wolves, a top
said Daniels. Ernesta, who lived at REGENSTEIN WOLF predator. “In the absence of top predators, other species become
WOODS in 2010, was released in the Blue Range Wolf overpopulated, which can impact the ecology of the area they
Recovery Area near the Arizona-New Mexico border with come from,” said Daniels.
a mate that had experience living in the wild. Ernesta went For example, the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone
on to become a successful mother and raised one litter. National Park in 1995 was followed by widespread positive
She became an ambassador for her species and starred in an changes in the ecosystem. The wolves reduced the population
award-winning documentary film in 2017 called Gray Area: of elk, which had grown massive without the predators around.
Wolves of the Southwest. (Ernesta is pictured on page 15.) The park's vegetation flourished because it wasn't overgrazed
At least seven of the 50 fostered pups released prior to by elk, which enabled other plant-eating animals to return.
2021 have survived to breeding age, which is 2 years. Including The carcasses left behind by wolves fed scavenger animals.
Blaze, four have successfully reproduced. But like wolf pups The wolves chased off coyotes, which had become overpopulated,
in general, some cross-fostered pups do not survive. After Blaze’s bringing back rabbits, squirrels, and other small animals the foxes
sister Brooke grew up, researchers lost track of her and believe had preyed on. These are just a few examples of how the
she didn’t survive. reintroduction of wolves can benefit an ecosystem.
“We will continue to be very involved and intend to
continue to be a leader in the SSP program for cross-fostering
and for continuing the work on the reproductive program
with the USFWS and the SSP,” said Daniels. █

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