Wolf Conservation Center Press Releases

Trump Administration Allows Ranchers to Kill Endangered Mexican Wolf  

February 24, 2026 Comments Off on Trump Administration Allows Ranchers to Kill Endangered Mexican Wolf  

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A newly revealed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service document allows Catron County ranchers to kill any one endangered Mexican gray wolf who happens to be in the area of two grazing allotments near Quemado, New Mexico. The permit doesn’t identify which wolf the ranchers can shoot, nor does it specify livestock lost to wolves preceding this kill authorization.  Several wolf families are in the area, including a likely pregnant, genetically valuable female wolf of the Elk Horn pack who was named Nora by the Endangered Wolf Center in Missouri before she was released into the Arizona wild as a pup in 2020. Nora is one of the 21% of genetically valuable captive-born pups known to have survived such releases without their birthparents.  “The permit allows the permittees to kill any wolf they see on private or federal land, in retribution for alleged and undisclosed livestock losses. This…

Wolf Conservation Center Study Finds Coastal Coyotes Preserve Red Wolf Ancestry Through Survival and Adaptation

February 11, 2026 Comments Off on Wolf Conservation Center Study Finds Coastal Coyotes Preserve Red Wolf Ancestry Through Survival and Adaptation

Distinct body form and high survival of coastal coyotes along the Texas-Louisiana border region allow coyotes harboring red wolf ancestry to persist decades after the red wolf’s extirpation from the region.  South Salem, NY — A new study led by the Wolf Conservation Center Integrative Ecology and Coexistence Lab and published in Ecosphere reveals how red wolf ancestry has persisted for more than four decades after the red wolf was declared extirpated from the wild. The research shows that a combination of distinctive physical traits adapted to coastal wetlands and high survival has allowed coyotes to harbor, maintain, and pass on red wolf genetics. The study focused on hybrid-like coyotes referred to as “Gulf Coast canids,” living in coastal wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico that retained significant red wolf ancestry. Researchers found that these coastal coyotes form a stable, locally adapted wetland ecotype shaped by historical red wolf introgression…

Taylor, the Boundary-Defying Wolf, Found Dead on Interstate 40 in New Mexico

January 21, 2026 Comments Off on Taylor, the Boundary-Defying Wolf, Found Dead on Interstate 40 in New Mexico

For immediate release: January 21, 2026 Albuquerque, N.M. – Taylor, the Mexican gray wolf made famous for establishing a home range last year near Mount Taylor, and returning there twice after having been removed despite a federal rule banning wolves north of Interstate 40, was found dead over the weekend on the  interstate near Grants, New Mexico.  “This is such an unfortunate outcome for Taylor, who showed us so much about how wolves choose their own habitats, regardless of the lines that humans draw on maps,” said Greta Anderson, deputy director of Western Watersheds Project. “But it’s also a positive development that the agencies were letting him stay outside of the artificial boundary for so long and giving him the opportunity to be wild on Mt. Taylor. His life firmly demonstrated the suitability of wolf habitat in these mountains, and we can only hope that he’s not the last wolf choosing…

Wolf Conservation Center Chosen as Westchester County’s #1 Place to Take Kids

July 18, 2023 Comments Off on Wolf Conservation Center Chosen as Westchester County’s #1 Place to Take Kids

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: Caleb Alexander Media and Communications Manager at the WCC caleb@nywolf.org Wolf Conservation Center Chosen as Westchester County’s #1 Place to Take Kids SOUTH SALEM, NY,…

Asha, wandering Mexican wolf captured near Taos last winter, returned to wild

June 14, 2023 Comments Off on Asha, wandering Mexican wolf captured near Taos last winter, returned to wild

For immediate release: June 14, 2023 MEDIA CONTACTS:  Cyndi Tuell, Western Watersheds Project, (520) 272-2454; cyndi@westernwatersheds.org  Emily Renn, Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project, (928) 202-1325; emily@gcwolfrecovery.org   Chris Smith, WildEarth Guardians,…

A Wild Opportunity: Several of Trumpet’s Pups To Be Cross Fostered

May 31, 2023 Comments Off on A Wild Opportunity: Several of Trumpet’s Pups To Be Cross Fostered

We are excited to share a truly thrilling update from the heart of our operations. As many of you know, Trumpet, a beloved member of our Mexican gray wolf pack,…

Government Agents Kill Endangered Mexican Gray Wolf Father, Threatening Pack’s Survival

April 17, 2023 Comments Off on Government Agents Kill Endangered Mexican Gray Wolf Father, Threatening Pack’s Survival

MEDIA CONTACTS: Maggie Howell, Wolf Conservation Center, (914) 763-2373; maggie@nywolf.orgGreta Anderson, Western Watersheds Project (520)623-1878; greta@westernwatersheds.org Chris Smith, WildEarth Guardians, (505) 395-6177, csmith@wildearthguardians.orgMichael Robinson, Center for Biological Diversity, (575) 313-7017,…

Celebrating 50 Years Of The Endangered Species Act

February 2, 2023 Comments Off on Celebrating 50 Years Of The Endangered Species Act

For Immediate Release, February 2, 2023 Contact: Stephanie Kurose, Center for Biological Diversity, (202) 849-8401 x 103, skurose@biologicaldiversity.org Derek Goldman, Endangered Species Coalition, (406) 370-6491, dgoldman@endangered.org Perry Wheeler, Earthjustice, (202)…

Conservation groups dismayed by agency removal of wandering wolf Asha

January 23, 2023 Comments Off on Conservation groups dismayed by agency removal of wandering wolf Asha

For immediate release: January 23 , 2023 Media contacts:Chris Smith, WildEarth Guardians, (505) 395-6177; csmith@wildearthguardians.orgGreta Anderson, Western Watersheds Project (520) 623-1878; greta@westernwatersheds.orgMichael Robinson, Center for Biological Diversity, (575) 313-7017; michaelr@biologicaldiversity.orgRenee…

Mexican gray wolf “Asha” should be allowed to continue her travels

January 19, 2023 Comments Off on Mexican gray wolf “Asha” should be allowed to continue her travels

For immediate release: January 19, 2023 Media contacts: Greta Anderson, Western Watersheds Project (520) 623-1878; greta@westernwatersheds.orgChris Smith, WildEarth Guardians (505) 395-6177; csmith@wildearthguardians.org Sally Paez, New Mexico Wild (505) 350-0664; sally@nmwild.org Renee Seacor, Project Coyote & The…

An Endangered Lobo Crossed I-40, Now What?

January 11, 2023 Comments Off on An Endangered Lobo Crossed I-40, Now What?

An endangered Mexican gray wolf known as f2754 (and named “Asha” by schoolchildren in an annual Pup Naming Contest) recently crossed a northern boundary in New Mexico that wildlife officials…

Conservationists Celebrate Northward-roaming Mexican Gray Wolf

January 11, 2023 Comments Off on Conservationists Celebrate Northward-roaming Mexican Gray Wolf

For immediate release: January 11, 2023   Media contacts:  Greta Anderson, Western Watersheds Project (520) 623-1878; greta@westernwatersheds.orgChris Smith, WildEarth Guardians (505) 395-6177; csmith@wildearthguardians.org Sally Paez, New Mexico Wild (505) 350-0664; sally@nmwild.org Renee…

Conservationists Hail Scientists’ Western Rewilding Blueprint as “a Major Call to Action” to the Biden Administration

August 9, 2022 Comments Off on Conservationists Hail Scientists’ Western Rewilding Blueprint as “a Major Call to Action” to the Biden Administration

For Immediate Release August 9, 2022 Contact: Erik Molvar, Western Watersheds Project, (307) 399-7910, emolvar@westernwatersheds.org Perry Wheeler, Earthjustice, (202) 792-6211, pwheeler@earthjustice.org Sarah McMillan, WildEarth Guardians, (406) 549-3895, smcmillan@wildearthguardians.org Maggie Howell,…

Endangered Wolf Pup Born at the WCC Released to the Wild

June 8, 2022 Comments Off on Endangered Wolf Pup Born at the WCC Released to the Wild

Rare Wolf Pup Born at WCC Joins Wild Family On May 3, 2022, Mexican gray wolf Trumpet gave birth to three pups at the Wolf Conservation Center, each no larger…

Mexican Gray Wolf Pup Born in New York Released to the Wild

June 5, 2022 Comments Off on Mexican Gray Wolf Pup Born in New York Released to the Wild

On May 3, 2022, Mexican gray wolf Trumpet gave birth to three pups at the Wolf Conservation Center (South Salem, NY), each no larger than one pound in size. Although…