Brookfield Zoo
With the start of a new year comes a new alpha wolf pair at Brookfield Zoo. Last month, a 7-year-old male Mexican wolf, named Apache, arrived from Albuquerque Bio Park in New Mexico. Animal care staff is hopeful that he and 2-year-old Ela will have a successful breeding season this winter and produce a litter of puppies this spring.
As one of the world’s rarest species, breeding in protective care amongst Mexican wolves is critical for the species’ survival. Currently, there are about 114 Mexican wolves living in the wild in the U.S. and approximately 31 in Mexico. The necessity of this transfer for the survival of this species makes the services provided by LightHawk even more crucial. LightHawk is a nonprofit organization that partners pilots with conservation organizations to help transfer endangered species to new homes. Pilot Chuck Yanke and Julie Tromblay, his co-pilot, volunteered to fly Apache to Illinois.
