We are excited to announce the birth of a litter of Mexican gray wolf pups!
The pups were born on April 19 to parents “Javi” and “Francina”. This is the first surviving litter the pair has produced together. Javi and Francina are being very protective, attentive parents.
The litter consists of two pups, a male named “Miguel” and a female named “Margarita”. In late May, the pups received their six-week exams, which includes a quick physical examination, vaccinations, deworming, documenting pup weights, and installing a subcutaneous microchip.
Fossil Rim added Mexican gray wolves to our animal collection in 1990 and has primarily been a holding facility for the Mexican Gray Wolf SSP (Species Survival Plan) over the years. This is only the fourth litter born at Fossil Rim in that timeframe, and we hope to increase that figure moving forward.
The Mexican gray wolf is one of the most endangered carnivores in the world with only about 110 left in the wild. Fossil Rim is one of 55 facilities involved in the Mexican Gray Wolf SSP, which has a total captive population of approximately 280 wolves.
The Mexican gray wolf family is currently off-limits to guests to give the parents and pups time to bond and explore their surroundings, but we will be opening the area back up to Behind-the-Scenes Tours in the near future.
-Carnivore Curator Jason Ahistus
OH My Gosh they are beautiful~!~
Thanks, Kim. Our carnivore staff agrees with you. 🙂
Great to hear that Francina finally got a chance to have pups. The volunteers at BZ will live knowing she is a mom
Thanks, Donald! I’ll let our carnivore staff know we heard from you. 🙂
What a bunch of cuties! I wanna just love on them!!!
Love it! I cannot wait to see them. We have a tour scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) and I’m so excited 🙂
Wonderful work you are doing. They are beautiful.
I’m more than excited that the wolves are coming back strong at Fossil Rim. They are so important to our ecosystem. Keep up the good work! And they’re such cuties too!!
Are the pups and parents still not out for viewing? We’re plannjng a trip sometime next week from McKinney and wondering if we will be able to see them. They are beautiful!!
Hello, I checked with the Carnivore Curator: “No, not yet. The presence of visitors is still stressful to the pack. We hope to be able to open in the near future but it is dependent on the behavior of the wolves.”
You might be able to see the Maned Wolf pups, which are older. You have to reserve a Behind-the-Scenes Tour to visit that area, and I know they are booked up most of the time. You might check on that.