As I write this, it is windy, grey and rainy in St Louis. A cold front is moving in tomorrow - so the forecast is pretty dismal for the next few days. Fortune, however, smiled upon me this morning and held off the rain until after I left the
Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Missouri. The Endangered Wolf Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of wolves and other canids through managed breeding, education and research. They are directed by the federal government, but do not receive any funds except through private donations. The Center was originally founded by Marlin Perkins and his wife. His daughter is still on the board of directors.
Tours of the Center are by reservation only in order to limit the wolves exposure to the public. I signed up for the 2 hour - program and tour, which includes a walking tour of the wolf enclosures and also an educational program indoors. Our tour guide, Michelle, met us at the entrance to open the gate. I must have still been half asleep though! Because as I pulled up there was this intercom where you had to dial a number to be let in. I didn't see anyone at the gate. So first I hit the dial button. Then I saw the sign that said hit 1 first, then the dial button. Then I had to figure out how to make it stop dialing (the * button). So I hit 1, then the dial button. Then I saw the other sign that said for the Wolf Center you should hit 3 and the dial button. So I started to re-do it again - when I heard something and glanced up. The tour guide had the gate wide open and was looking at me like I was a moron!!! Boy did I feel stupid and sheepish. I quickly apologized and stated that I was apparently too busy reading all the directions to notice the gate opening. She directed me inside the gate, and into the gate house - graciously refraining from commenting on my idiocy.
After checking in at the gate house, paying for the tour and making sure everyone was there, Michelle directed us back to our cars. The Center leases land from Washington University Research Center. So we had to drive almost a mile back away from the main road to get to the Wolf Center.
We opted to do the walking tour first, in case the rain started. So Michelle led us down several roads, graveled and paved toward the wolf enclosures. The wolves are all wild and with a few exceptions are able to be re-released in the wild. Most of the enclosures are double fenced, and the chain link is buried deep in the ground to prevent digging out. A few of the wolves are either too old, or have disabilities that would prevent release - but they are never tamed. The first enclosure was pretty small - because the residents were pretty small. They have 3
Swift Foxes - a male and 2 females. This enclosure had tall sides with razor wire at the top - which was electrified by a solar panel. Michelle explained that this was due to the large population of native Raccoons who could eat the baby foxes when they are born. Here's a couple of pictures - between the chain link, the child running back and forth at them and the "swiftness" of the Swift Foxes, it was hard to get a good photo.
Next up was a
Red Wolf enclosure with 2 males. They were a little standoffish, but consented to come down close at one point to sniff out this invasion. The Red Wolf is one of two species of wolves in the United States. This Center has assisted in the repopulation of the Red Wolf in North Carolina. They are a smaller wolf - often confused with Coyotes - for good reason it turns out. The Red Wolf was down to only a few hundred in the U.S. and on the endangered species list. When they began to capture the wolves for captive breeding to improve the numbers, they realized that only 14 of those hundreds had pure bloodlines. The rest had crossbred with coyotes through the years! So those 14 were the ones that have been brought in to captivity to replenish the population.
Just in back of the 2 red wolves was a lone,
Mexican Grey wolf named Anna. She is an older wolf and extremely dominant. She is too old to breed anymore - had her last litter a few years ago. And she is too dominant to be in with other wolves. Her mate died last year. She was partially hand raised as a pup, so even though she is still basically wild, she is too used to humans to be released in the wild. So she will live her life out here at the Center. Michelle explained to us that her daughters (several of which remain at the Center, one of which has been released in the wild) were also extremely dominant and had to be separated from their parents early on - instead of remaining as a pack. The daughters were trying to take over their mother's position as alpha female. The Center did not want to promote inbreeding, so they separated the daughters to a next door pen (where the red wolves are now). However they continued to fight through the fence and so had to be separated further. Michelle also explained that the wolves who were the most trouble (the most dominant, fought the most, etc) were the ones who thrived best when released into the wild.
The wolf enclosures ranged in size from 1/2 acre to 3-4 acres in size. Still, it was a smaller operation than I had thought it would be. But I guess you need to take these things very slowly and carefully. They have permission this year for 2 pair of wolves to mate, the Swift Foxes and also to obtain a female for the African Wild Dogs. They also have a pack of
Maned Wolves which come from South America and are not really wolves at all. They are extremely shy and solitary and refused to be seen in their enclosure. Although we could certainly smell them! We thought it was a skunk - smells just like it. But our guide told us that the strong smell was their way of marking their territory. The
African Wild Dogs, however, were not shy in the least. This predator, which looks similar to hyenas, has little fear of humans and can crush bone with up to 2500 lbs of pressure. The animal handlers do not go into their enclosures at all. They have trained the Wild Dogs to lay down and to put their paws up on the fence standing, so they can do a cursory exam from a distance. But they are very dangerous. They have strange sounds they make - little yips and whistling calls to each other. The 3 males in the enclosure were very social with each other - and immediately came over to the fence where we were standing so they could pee and mark territory, and then they flopped down against the fence with their backs to us. That is an incredible sign of self confidence and lack of concern in a wild animal. Sort of their version of flipping the bird and saying, "piss off" to the hefty newcomer in the room to show they aren't afraid.
I'd like to mention 2 other wolves among the many we saw today. One of them is Rocky. He was born in the wild, but in a time of severe drought. So his siblings all died, and he was the only one to survive. Because of his weak condition, he was pulled in from the wild and partially hand raised. He survived but was left mostly blind and slightly lame. Rocky was neutered, and will live out his life in captivity. He had a very difficult time adjusting to captivity, but thanks to a few companions, he had adjusted quite well. Here is a picture of his companion, who came up close by to sniff us out. Rocky, of course, stayed too far back to get a good picture.
Next up is Bob - so named because he had a shortened tail. Bob passed away not too long ago, but his memory and his progeny live on. Bob was slated to be killed in the wild because he was poaching cattle. Like most of the endangered Mexican Grey wolves, he wore a radio collar so they could track his movements. So they tracked Bob and shot him. Saw that the collar was not moving, and knew they had gotten him. But when they went to find the body, all they found was the collar that they had shot off of him. So they went hunting. Found Bob. Shot him again. Went looking for the body - and there goes Bob running by.... so they hunted again, and for the third time, shot him. They found blood. Went looking for the body. And there goes Bob, running by again!! He'd taken a bullet in the hip and kept on going! So they opted to trap his mate and pups and lured him in that way to captivity. He lived the rest of his life in captivity - both as a reward for his survival skills and to keep him away from livestock. He even got a girl pregnant in captivity while she was on birth control! What a guy! You can read more about the wolves, and see a picture of Bob on the
Endangered Wolf Center website.
After the tour, we headed back to one of the many old ammunitions bunkers that exist at this site. Inside we found the gift shop and a seating area for the educational program. Tour guide Michelle brought out numerous wolf pelts and cast skulls for us to pet and see. She told us about their program and about the habits of the wolves. When the U.S. decided to kill off a lot of the Mexican Grey Wolves, they would kill a buffalo and lace it with poison. Not only did they kill off the wolves, but also the Swift Foxes who fed on the remains of the carcass as well. As we have since come to understand, killing off an entire species is detrimental to the environment. When the wolf was reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park, they found that the indigenous aspen trees and cottonwood trees began to make a comeback. Without the natural predation of the wolves, the elk in the park had become so numerous and stationary that they were killing off the young Aspen saplings. According to Michelle, we now have a 40 year gap between the older Aspen trees and the new young saplings just starting to grow back. This is definitely a lot to think about today. I did join the Center. And if you're looking for a place to donate - it's a great cause. I hope to come back someday to visit again. Michelle recommended summer time visits to see the Maned Wolves in action - as well as the pups. Most of the animals were skittish as it is the time of year when they all receive examinations and vaccinations. So they equate people with being caught. February is the beginning of mating season. So after April would probably be a good time to catch sightings of pups! They offer camps for kids in the summer, educational school programs, and Campfire howl nights (positive wolf stories around a campfire followed by an attempt to get the wolves to howl with you). I highly recommend a trip here if you are in the area. After all, Betty White named one of the wolves here (Perkins), and Ted Turner has been here as well! :)
At the entrance to the shelter, there is a beautiful sculpture. Everything was neat and clean - even the kennels. The dogs all have indoor/outdoor kennels with beds. The staff seemed really caring and attentive. I asked for the dog I wanted to see by ID# and then headed back to the kennels to meet a handler. They escorted me with the dog to an outside fenced cubicle where I could get to know him. He's approximately one year old, a border collie mix with a longish stubby tail. He seemed really friendly and sweet. They picked him up as a stray and the name on his card said "Sea Dog". He let me look at his teeth and pick up his paws. He even rolled over so I could scratch his belly.
I was a goner as soon as I saw his picture online really. So I adopted him for $50. I couldn't take him home because he still needs to be neutered. He's a little on the thin side and a little matted. I went back on Sunday to spend an hour with him again. He seemed really happy to see me when I came up to his run. I sat and brushed him for a while. And tried to think of names....
It was a sunny day today again, but the wind is quite strong - which made it cold. Jane and I managed a mile walk along the trails opposite the apartment. Then she wanted to spend some time baking in the sun on the balcony - one of her favorite places - while I rearranged crates in preparation for the new dog. It will be interesting to find out if he's housebroken. I've already alerted my dogwalkers. One interesting factoid about this area...they don't routinely test for heartworms. It's not very prevalent here. They still recommend preventative, just in case. But usually the only dogs that get heartworms are from over the mountains, or those who travel to other areas of the US. Still, I think I'll have him tested. 
