The Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi), commonly known as the “lobo,” is the most genetically distinct lineage of gray wolves in the Western Hemisphere and is one of the most endangered mammals in North America. By the mid-1980s, hunting, trapping, and poisoning led to the extinction of lobos in the wild, leaving only a few individuals in captivity. In 1998, a federal reintroduction program under the Endangered Species Act aimed to restore their population by reintroducing these wolves into the wild.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) launched the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP) to oversee breeding and recovery efforts. Roy McBride, a seasoned wolf trapper, was tasked with locating the last wild individuals in Mexico. He successfully captured five wolves, three of which became the foundation of the SSP’s breeding program, known as the McBride lineage. Later, four more wolves from two separate lineages, Ghost Ranch and Aragón, were added, forming the genetic backbone of today’s population.
In 2023, the SSP program transitioned into a Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) program. Southwest Wildlife is one of sixty facilities across the U.S. and Mexico, part of this program.
SWCC’s Role in Conserving the Mexican Wolf
Southwest Wildlife is a long-standing member of the Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) plan for this sub-species of the gray wolf. We have contributed to the preservation of this rare wolf by offering space at our sanctuary to care for part of the captive population. As a holding facility, Southwest Wildlife covers the entire expense of feeding and caring for these animals, with no contribution from either Federal or State agencies.
We encourage you to learn all you can about these remarkable animals and to help give them a future in the wild, where they belong.
