Giving Tuesday 2019
Make a world of difference this Giving Tuesday by supporting the Endangered Wolf Center!
Generous matching donors will DOUBLE your donation on Giving Tuesday -help us reach our $201K goal.
Our animals’ native habitats are all over the world. Though for most of our species, these habitats are dwindling and wild populations are now threatened or critically endangered. The American red wolf, for example, has less than 20 individuals in the wild. We cannot let them go extinct on our watch.
When we conserve our wolves and other canids, we impact ecosystems and promote a healthy, balanced world for plants, animals, and ourselves!
Conserving species is hard work. Your donations directly help us feed our animals, care for veterinary needs, pay our dedicated staff, maintain our animal’s large habitats, and continue to educate the public about these endangered species.
Our Mission
To preserve and protect Mexican wolves, red wolves and other wild canid species, with purpose and passion, through carefully managed breeding, reintroduction and inspiring education programs.
Our Vision
Our vision is a world where endangered wolves and other wild canids exist and thrive in their native habitats, recognized and valued for their vital roles as leading members of a healthy ecosystem.
Do you share our mission?
Make a world of difference with us!
Howliday Celebration on December 28
Join us on December 28 at the Endangered Wolf Center for a Howliday Celebration!
From 3:30-5:30 pm, visitors will make fun treats for the animals and watch them celebrate the season! After sunset, we will howl with the wolves!
This is an exclusive event limited to 50 people – sign up today! Prices are $25 for adults and $20 children. Please arrive by 3:15pm to check in.
For reservations, call 636-938-5900 or book online here.
Holiday Boutique Open House
Saturday, November 30 | 10 am – 5 pm
Here’s your chance to take care of your holiday shopping and help wildlife and wild places at the same time.
If you have friends, family, neighbors or co-workers who love nature and are passionate about conserving the places they call home, be sure to put the Endangered Wolf Center’s Holiday Boutique on your calendar for Saturday, Nov. 30. Our Celeste Ruwwe Gift Shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Gift Shop is stocked with hundreds of wolf- and nature-themed gifts. And all purchases go toward our vital mission of preserving wild canids like endangered Mexican wolves and red wolves, and our efforts to return them to the wild.
We have a wide variety of great gifts, including jewelry, T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, jackets, posters, books, holiday cards, 2020 puppy calendars, ornaments and plush animals. We’ll even have free refreshments that day.
Visitors to the Holiday Boutique on Nov. 30 can also take in special $10 mini-tours of our animal enclosures. Usually, visitors must make reservations for our daytime PredaTours and evening wolf howls. But on Nov. 30 only, no reservations are needed for a mini tour. Seven mini tours will be offered on the hour, starting at 10 a.m. The last mini tour will begin at 4 p.m.
If you can’t make it to Holiday Boutique on Nov. 30, our Gift Shop is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 pm daily, except Tuesdays, with no reservations required. The Gift Shop is also open during daytime tours and evening events on weekends.
Other than Nov. 30, reservations are required for daytime PredaTours and evening Wolf Howls at the Center. Call 636-938-5900 to schedule or to purchase a gift certificate for tickets – a great stocking stuffer. Visit the Endangered Wolf Center website at www.endangeredwolfcenter.org for tour times, prices and information.
Happy howlidays from our pack to yours.
Cool New Junior Volunteers Opportunities
Our Junior Volunteers are an integral part of our operations at the Endangered Wolf Center!
This program is for teens who are interested in conservation efforts, educational programming, wolves and other canid species, or are looking to give back to the community. Our Junior Volunteer program has very flexible scheduling and has regular, as well as occasional, volunteering opportunities.
Opportunities for Junior Volunteers include:
– Creating enrichment for our animals.
– Helping with our special events, such as Wolf Fest.
– Assisting with education programs, including our PredaTours, scout programs, and birthday parties.
– Helping with evening programs, such as Wolf Howls and overnights.
– Assisting with summer camps.
Requirements:
– You must be between 14 – 17 years of age.
– Must be punctual, responsible, and have a willingness to learn new things.
How to Apply:
1. Fill out our online application by clicking here.
2. We will review your application and get back to you within 1 – 2 weeks.
If you have any questions about our Junior Volunteer program, please contact Lauren Pickard at [email protected]
If you have a school group or club that is interested in volunteering as a group, please contact Lauren for a group volunteer application.
4th Annual International African Painted Dog Conference
The Endangered Wolf Center is proud to host the 4th Annual International African Painted Dog Conference, May 11-14th, 2020 at Missouri Department of Conservation Powder Valley Conference Center.
This conference brings together wildlife managers, biologists, conservationists and zoo professionals from around the world to enhance and improve the care of African painted dogs in managed care and to assist in field conservation in the wild.
African painted dogs are a vital species to ecosystem health, yet their numbers have dramatically declined across the African continent for the last several decades. The decline is due to poaching, accidental deaths (motor-vehicle strikes, caught in snares meant for other species, etc.), diseases transmitted by domestic dogs, habitat loss and lack of food resources.
The goal of this conference is to convene experts in the field with the focus of sharing knowledge, identifying conservation and research needs and working together to solve pressing issues to help save this endangered species.
Early bird registration by April 9th, 2020 is $175 and $215 after April 20th, 2020.
Airport
Saint Louis International Lambert Airport
10701 Lambert International Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63145
Code: STL
Phone: (314) 890-1333
https://www.flystl.com/
Hotel
Your hotel room also needs to be booked by April 9th to guarantee the group discount and room availability. If you need transportation to and from the conference, it can only be provided if you are staying at one of the three hotels listed below.
The two preferred hotels are:
Drury Inn
5 Lambert Drury Place
Valley Park, MO 63088
Phone: (636) 861-8300,
Group room rate discount is under “African Painted Dog Conference” or group# 2396791 at $100 per night
Hampton Inn
9 Lambert Drury Place
Drury Dr, Manchester, MO 63088
Group room rate discount under “African Painted Dog Conference” at $118 per night
Book This Hotel
If the above preferred hotels are booked, please use this hotel:
Drury Inn
1088 S Hwy Dr,
Fenton, MO 63026
Group room rate discount is under “African Painted Dog Conference” or group# 2396792
Book This Hotel
Tentative Itinerary:
May 11th, 2020:
11:30am-3pm Pre-conference tour at the Saint Louis Zoo: behind-the-scenes tour of the carnivore unit and Reproductive Management Center.
6pm-8:30pm – Icebreaker at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House
May 12-13th, 2020:
International African Painted Dog Conference (being held in the Missouri Department of Conservation Powder Valley Conference Center)
May 14th, 2020:
African Painted Dog Species Survival Plan Meeting (Location TBA)
May 15th, 2020:
Morning, time TBA: Post-conference tour
“The Center is honored to be chosen to host this prestigious conference,” stated Virginia Busch, the Endangered Wolf Center’s CEO. “A big part of our mission is to provide opportunities to share best practices, collaborate, and to encourage solution-driven methods to better conserve endangered canids.”
The Endangered Wolf Center has been part of the Association of Zoo’s and Aquarium’s African Painted Dog Species Survival Plan (SSP) since 2003. The Center’s Director of Animal Care and Conservation, Regina Mossotti, is a member of the African Painted Dog SSP Management Committee. The EWC recently celebrated two litters born in November 2018, just four days apart, totaling 23 pups.
In collaboration with Dr. Tammy Cloutier of Antioch University, the EWC conducted ground-breaking research on how nutrition affected pup development with these two litters. Not only does the Endangered Wolf Center assist with the breeding program and conduct research to grow the scientific community’s knowledge, the Center also assists conservation through public education programs. Through the EWC’s educational programs, including live webcams, the Center raises awareness to spur conservation action for this endangered species.
National Recognition for Our Mexican Wolf Conservation Program
Endangered Wolf Center Receives Prestigious Award from the AZA
We are pleased to share the news that we have been honored to receive the Edward H. Bean Award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums at its recent national conference in New Orleans.
The Edward H. Bean Award recognizes a truly significant captive propagation effort that clearly enhances the management of the species. The Endangered Wolf Center was recognized for our long-term work with Mexican wolves that “has produced multiple successful births that have a quantifiable impact on the sustainability of the species or subspecies.”
This is a tremendous honor and a testament not only to our dedicated staff, but to the commitment and unyielding support of our Board members and our many volunteers and supporters.
Winning this national, prestigious conservation award reinforces our standing as a world renowned conservation organization. Previous honorees include the Bronx Zoo, Minnesota Zoo, Vancouver Aquarium, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and the Saint Louis Zoo — so we are indeed in lofty company.
In announcing the award winners, AZA President and CEO Dan Ashe said, “We are proud to honor the distinguished leaders in our profession for their outstanding accomplishments. Their contributions have inspired all within the zoo and aquarium community to advance AZA’s mission of creating a world where all people respect, value, and conserve wildlife and wild places.”
For more than four decades, our staff, volunteers and supporters have worked to create a Center recognized for not only our achievements, but our leadership role in the recovery of the endangered species in our care.
YOU have been an important part of our success. Your commitment to wildlife conservation, and your ongoing support of our work with all of our canid species, enables us to be a leader in this most essential cause.
Artist Designs Wolf Shoes to Support the EWC!
Artist Ernie Moreno’s passion for animals has inspired him to create a special, wearable way to support our endangered species!
“I have been an animal lover my whole life, and wolves are one of my favorites because of their beauty,” says Moreno. “I could draw one of my favorite animals and help to bring awareness to the conservation and study of the wolves.”
Wolf Shoes can be ordered with original designs that are either Hand Drawn or Custom Printed. Hand Drawn shoes are 100% custom and original. Custom Printed shoes will be printed with original paintings created by Moreno for the Endangered Wolf Center. All designs are based on animals right here at the EWC!
These make great gifts for the animal lovers in your life! See all the design options and order your Wolf Shoes from WolfShoes.org.
Four EWC wolf pups make cross-fostering history
OVERCOMING MANY OBSTACLES:
MEXICAN WOLF PUPS FLY TO AZ & NM TO HELP SAVE SPECIES IN FIRST DOUBLE FOSTER EVENT
The Endangered Wolf Center, United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Interagency Field Team—which is made up of biologists from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department, USDA Forest Service, USDA Wildlife Services, and the White Mountain Apache Tribe—collaborate to fly four 10-day-old pups born at the Center from St. Louis to their new families in the wilds of New Mexico and Arizona in the first ever double foster.
The Endangered Wolf Center flew four critically endangered Mexican wolf pups to Arizona to be cross-fostered by two different wild packs (one in Arizona and one in New Mexico) on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. This historic collaborative effort between the Endangered Wolf Center staff, the Fish and Wildlife Services and its partners represents the first time four pups born in captivity have been “adopted out” to two different packs in two different states at the exact same time.
Mexican wolf pups during health exam before flight.
“Saving species requires creativity and breakthroughs in conservation techniques,” said Regina Mossotti, Director of Animal Care and Conservation at the EWC, “and this double foster was a great example of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the EWC and the states working together to seize a unique opportunity to help Mexican wolves.”
Cross foster wolf pup health check in Phoenix Airport by FWS vet Susan Dicks and EWC team.
Cross-fostering is a technique where wolf puppies from one litter are placed with another litter in hopes that the wolf mother will adopt the additions as her own. Placing pups from captivity into a wild litter not only helps increase the population size in the wild but also helps increase genetic diversity. It is also a wonderful way to have wild parents (with an established territory and experience) raise and teach the pups how to survive.
Fostering is a relatively new technique for the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program. With fewer than 150 individuals left in the wild—mostly found in Arizona and New Mexico—these four pups born at the EWC on April 9, 2018 (male pups “Benny” and “Grenville” and female pups “Spirit” and “Belinda”) represent vital new genetics needed for a critically endangered population.
Endangered Wolf Center team Sarah Holaday and Kim Rutledge on Arizona Game & Fish plane flying to wild dens.
Extreme terrain and logistics make fostering challenging, and the timing has to be just right. Wild and captive litters have to be born within a few days of one another, and the transfer from captivity to the wild has to occur before the pups are fourteen days old. “Everything has to line up…the stars, the sun, the moon, and the planets all have to align to make a foster happen,” said Mossotti. “The timing of the birth of wild pups has to be within a few days of our pups…to say nothing of the logistics. There are weather considerations, flights and travel, personnel, locating wild dens, securing funding—all pieces of the puzzle have to come together very quickly to get this done.”
All four pups before release during vet check in the recovery area.
This operation almost stopped in its tracks, due to high winds and a wildfire in Arizona. Overcoming the logistics and managing the shifting and potentially dangerous conditions on the ground make the success of the Endangered Wolf Center, the USFWS, and Arizona Game and Fish’s efforts all the more remarkable.
The four pups flew to Arizona, accompanied by Sarah Holaday, EWC Animal Care Staff and Kim Rutledge, Executive Director of the Wildlife Rescue Center. “Our staff members are experts, and they did an incredible job making sure that these precious pups stayed safe, warm and well-cared for on their journey to the wild,” said Virginia Busch, Executive Director of the Endangered Wolf Center. “The Endangered Wolf Center is proud of our efforts to collaborate to grow the conservation success for the endangered species the EWC is working to save.”
FWS biologist Alison Greenleaf examing pups at wild den before foster credit Endangered Wolf Center.
This year, several wild packs denned at the exact same time as the pack at the Endangered Wolf Center. Sibi (mother) and Lazarus (father) at the EWC had a litter of seven healthy pups. Having this large litter offered the opportunity to take four pups and place them into two different packs litters. “It is rare to have litters match up, but to have several at once was very exciting!” said Mossotti.
 Endangered Wolf Center team with pups on their back ready to hike to wild den in New Mexico. |
 Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area in Arizona New Mexico Border Pups new home. |
Spirit and Grenville were fostered into the Elk Horn Pack in Arizona. Elk Horn had five pups, growing to seven with the new additions. Benny and Belinda were fostered into Frieborn Pack in New Mexico, growing their six-pup litter to eight.
“The Endangered Wolf Center has been working for almost 50 years to help make breakthroughs in conservation for endangered canids. And efforts like this double foster are examples of how conservation for the Mexican wolf is moving in a positive direction!” said Busch.
Celebrate with us by making a donation to continue our wild efforts.
Donate Now
Wolf Fest 2019: Come Have a Howling Good Time
Our biggest event of the year! A festival that has fun activities, events, exhibits and demonstrations for all ages.
Emerson Presents Wolf Fest 2019 at the Endangered Wolf Center on Saturday, October 12, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This family festival has fun activities, events, exhibits and demonstrations for all ages. Endangered Wolf Center Members will enjoy early entry at 9:00 a.m. so join today for this exclusive opportunity to miss the crowds!
Wolf Fest features food trucks, adult beverages, animal demonstrations, many conservation groups, plus activities and games for kids.
Guests will see some of the most endangered wolves in the world and leave with a better understanding of their critical importance in the wild. Wolf Fest lets us share this science in fun, memorable ways.
Conservation Ambassadors will introduce guests to animals from around the world, with opportunities to get up close for photos. Guests can also view puppies born this spring!
FREE CARLOAD DEAL: Guests can purchase tickets in advance for $25 per carload ($35 day of). If you become a member between now and October 12, you will receive a free ticket for one carload and gain access to early entry at 9am. (Purchase a membership ticket). – VIP tickets are $100 per person and will receive reserved on-site parking, a private tent with complimentary drinks and snacks and an opportunity for a special meet-and-greet with conservationist and Conservation Ambassadors founder David Jackson and his animal ambassadors.
Buy Tickets or Membership Sponsorship Letter Sponsorship Form Facebook EventJoin us for Howl-o-Ween!
Celebrate Howl-o-Ween at the EWC on Saturday, October 26.
Get into the “spirit” of the season by decorating and filling pumpkins with Halloween treats for our wolves, foxes and other canids. Costumes encouraged!
You’ll meet the keepers, learn about these unique species, and watch them enjoy the treats you made!
It’s a one-of-a-kind opportunity to meet some of the world’s most endangered species.
THEN…
Aaaoooooo! You’ll enjoy stories around the campfire and howl with the wolves. Plenty of treats for everyone!
The program begins at 5:30p.m. sharp; guests must check in by 5:15p.m.
Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for children, with children 3 and under free. Make your reservations today at 636-938-5900! By attending, you are supporting important conservation work!
Wolf Center News
