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By Nathan Lyle | Published July 2, 2019 | Full size is 1300 × 380 pixels

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Wolfwatcher

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3 Mexican Gray Wolves born at zoo released into wild as part of program to cross-foster and breed subspeciesbit.ly/3xHpSGTThe El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens is part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) cross-fostering and breeding program dedicated to helping boost the genetic diversity of the endangered subspecies, the Mexican Gray Wolf.Earlier this year, two female and three male puppies were born to the El Paso Zoo’s resident wolf parents, Tazanna and Tulio.Three of the five born at the El Paso Zoo have been released into five wild wolf packs throughout New Mexico and Arizona along with nine other captive-born ‘pups.’In the spring the 12 pups were plunked in across the U.S. as part of a coordinated effort, according to the El Paso Zoo, to be placed with genetically diverse, captive born wolves in the wild population in support of recovery efforts.Cross-fostering has been a proven method used by the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team (IFT) to increase genetic diversity in the wild Mexican Wolf population. The process begins with carefully managed breeding by the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP) program to produce genetically diverse pups within the captive population.Within 14 days of being born, the captive-born pups are transported to the wild and mixed with similarly aged wild pups. Once all the pups are placed back into the wild den, the breeding female’s maternal instinct kicks in and pups raised as wild.Since the inception of the program, 83 pups have been placed into wild wolf dens and as aresult, three of four genetic metrics have shown improvements.On the horizon is 2023 planning which is on going. The goalfor 2023 is to place more pups that this current year.Photo: El Paso Zoo ... See MoreSee Less

3 Mexican Gray Wolves born at zoo released into wild as part of program to cross-foster and breed subspecies

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EL PASO, TX (KTSM) – The El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens is part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) cross-fostering and breeding program dedicated to helping boost the ...

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Wolfwatcher

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Colorado wolfpack no longer has working collars, causing concern among officialsbit.ly/3NdRLfhColorado's closely watched North Park wolfpack no longer has a working radio collar among its members, causing growing concern among ranchers, some wolf experts and the state wildlife agency.Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed to the Coloradoan the remaining working collar among the three fitted on pack members failed May 13. That collar was attached to the breeding adult male of the pack, which last year helped produce the state's fist pups in 80 years."Collars were the only way CPW could keep track of the wolves, so without the collars they are blind,'' said Gittleson, whose 11,000-acre ranch he leases northeast of Walden has been home to four of the state's five confirmed wolf kills of cattle.Carter Niemeyer spent three decades studying, killing and trapping gray wolves for the federal government before retiring. He now works with ranchers on how to coexist with wolves and sits on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Gray Wolf.He believes this is an ideal time to trap wolves for two reasons. He said using leghold traps would serve as a "spank and release'' to scare wolves away from cattle while allowing the capture of a wolf to be fitted with a collar.Leghold traps were banned by voters in 1996.Ed Bangs, who oversaw the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's gray wolf recovery program in the Northern Rocky Mountains before retiring in 2011, said using helicopters to capture and collar wolves this time of year is not ideal. He said the heat of summer stresses the animals, and vegetation makes it difficult to find wolves.The need to radio collar is because people get nervous not knowing where the animals are,'' said Bangs, who in the latter part of his career voiced concerns about using radio collars on wolves.Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which is partnering with lead agency U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in managing wolves, said it does not plan to capture and collar wolves at this time.Photo: Colorado Parks and Wildlife ... See MoreSee Less

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