Declared in 1980 as “extinct in the wild,” saving this American icon & other wild canids is the mission of the team at the Endangered Wolf Center
by Marty Harris
Webster Groves resident Regina Mossotti’s love of animals has taken her around the world, but the song of the wolf drew her back home to St. Louis.
As director of animal care and conservation at the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, she is currently in a battle to save the red wolf so its call will live on in the wild.
“Red wolves, once native to Missouri and the southeastern United States, are now critically endangered with 62 known individuals left in the wild. They can only be found in North Carolina,” Mossotti explained.
However, a battle is raging between the government and landowners – the wolf is caught in the middle. At issue is a law which stops landowners from hunting coyotes on their property because they have mistakenly shot the endangered red wolf.
“The fear is the program (which is under review) could be shut down and, if so, what would happen to the wolves,” said Ashley Rearden, education coordinator at the center. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has no plan B.”
“The issue is the landowners’ disdain for government regulations. Unfortunately, the red wolf has become the misplaced target for their frustration,” Mossotti said. She was in North Carolina recently testifying on behalf of conservation efforts at heated public hearings.
Mossotti is passionate in her support of wildlife.
“The red wolf is harmless. Since 1987 (when reintroduced in North Carolina), none has ever come in contact with a person. They run away from people. They’re shy,” she said. “Fear and misinformation are the biggest threats to wolves.”
“The Wolf Center”
While the red wolf is currently front and center, it is just one of the wild canids which the team at the wolf center is fighting to preserve.
The mission of the Endangered Wolf Center is to preserve and protect Mexican gray wolves, red wolves and other endangered canids through carefully managed breeding, reintroduction and education programs.
“We’re the most successful facility for breeding endangered canids in the world,” said Mossotti. “Part of that is our very unique husbandry practices – the large natural spaces where we can let them (animals) be wild and a quiet setting which is why tours are by reservation only.”
Like the red wolf, the Mexican wolf is also critically endangered with only 83 in the wild, according to Rearden.
Rearden proudly told the story of Anna, one of 13 Mexican wolves at the center. Now retired, she’s “the diva of the center” due to her genetics and her four litters which produced 41 puppies.
In addition to the Mexican wolves, three red wolves, seven swift foxes (threatened), four African painted dogs (endangered) and two maned wolves (threatened) call the center home.
“We only work with species that are at threat of extinction. We are working to save them,” Mossotti said.
On one of the first cool September days, Scout, a red wolf, was on alert running around the pond in his enclosure. Mossotti commented on how rare it is to be able to see one.
“Very few people get to see a red wolf. They are critically endangered. They are on the brink,” she said.
Following A Dream
Mossotti first fell in love with the wolves in 2005 when she started as an intern and then worked as a fulltime keeper at the wolf center. While she loved working at the center, Mossotti also realized how much she wanted to work in conservation.
Pursuing that dream and continuing her education took her on adventures far and wide from Alaska to Chile. On a number of her trips, Travis, her husband since 2006, has been by her side.
“He has helped me trap and collar mountain lions (in California near Santa Cruz in the redwood forests) and has hiked with me in Yellowstone National Park to take samples from prey that wolves had taken,” Mossotti said. “Actually, on one hike out to a food cache, the two of us ran into a grizzly bear – almost literally. She was less that 40 steps from us digging on her own food cache.”
One of the favorite things Mossotti did after graduate school was work as a biologist on the Yellowstone Wolf Project.
“That was the first time I got to hear wolves howl in the wild. I’ve seen them before in Alaska but never got to hear them howl,” she said. “That moment was a catalyst.”
While working on her doctorate at Oregon State University, a position opened up at the wolf center.
“It was a tough decision,” Mossotti said. She said, however, that with the recession the wolf center had gone through a rough time and needed help.
“Because I love it so much I decided to come back in 2011,” she said.
Open House At The Wolf Center
This Saturday, Sept. 27, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the center is holding its annual Wolf Fest. At the open house, visitors can discover the center without a reservation. Tour the center and check out the many exhibitors, such as the St. Louis Zoo, Shaw Nature Reserve, Missouri Wildflowers Nursery and Crown Ridge Tiger Sanctuary, plus enjoy music, kids activities, a climbing wall and more. Admission is $25 per car.
The center also hosts numerous programs and events for individuals and groups throughout the year. Camping with the wolves is a new program. Visitors can bring their tent and enjoy breakfast, dinner, a survival skills workshop, a wolf howl and tour. For reservations and information about the programs, visit the center’s website at www.endangeredwolfcenter.org.