Vic Nicastro / New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
Jefferson Siegel / New York Daily News
Susan Watts / New York Daily News
Anthony DelMundo / New York Daily News
Andrew Savulich / New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
New York Daily News
Todd Maisel / New York Daily News
Debbie Egan-Chin / New York Daily News
Marc A. Hermann for New York Daily News
Robert Sabo / New York Daily News
Robert Sabo / New York Daily News
Debbie Egan-Chin / New York Daily News
Todd Maisel / New York Daily News
Angus Mordant for New York Daily News
Anthony DelMundo / New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
Anthony DelMundo / New York Daily News
Debbie Egan-Chin / New York Daily News
Robert Sabo / New York Daily News
Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News
Go Nakamura /New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
Anthony DelMundo / New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
Marc A. Hermann for New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
Christie M Farriella for New York Daily News
Debbie Egan-Chin / New York Daily News
Shawn Inglima for New York Daily News
Anthony DelMundo / New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
Anthony DelMundo / New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
Michael Schwartz for New York Daily News
Corey Sipkin / New York Daily News
Anthony DelMundo / New York Daily News
Todd Maisel / New York Daily News
Joe Marino / New York Daily News
Debbie Egan-Chin / New York Daily News
Todd Maisel / New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
Anthony DelMundo / for New York Daily News
David Handschuh / New York Daily News
Robert Sabo / New York Daily News
Robert Sabo / New York Daily News
Laura Thompson / New York Daily News
Todd Maisel / New York Daily News
Go Nakamura for New York Daily News
Anthony DelMundo / New York Daily News
Anthony DelMundo / New York Daily News
Anthony DelMundo / New York Daily News
Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News
Jefferson Siegel / New York Daily News
Marcus Santos / New York Daily News
Anthony DelMundo / New York Daily News
Robert Sabo / New York Daily News
Anthony DelMundo / New York Daily News
Barry Williams for New York Daily News
Robert Sabo / New York Daily News
Joe Marino / New York Daily News
Danielle Hyams/New York Daily News
Marcus Santos / New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
Anthony DelMundo / New York Daily News
Debbie Egan-Chin / New York Daily News
James Keivom / New York Daily News
David Handschuh / New York Daily News
Debbie Egan-Chin / New York Daily News
Corey Sipkin / New York Daily News
Robert Sabo / New York Daily News
Go Nakamura for New York Daily News
Andrew Savulich / New York Daily News
Anthony DelMundo / New York Daily News
It’s survival of the cutest in New Mexico.
The Mexican wolf, the rarest gray wolf in North America, has a thriving new member in 7-month-old Archer, ABQ BioPark in Albuquerque announced in a press release.
Archer, who is now close to the same size as his parents, is one of very few Mexican wolves remaining. As of 2017, the species that once roamed the southwest United States and northern Mexico has been reduced to around 150 animals in the wild, mostly in the US, and 240 in captivity.
Archer was one of three wolves born in May at the zoo, but his two siblings did not survive childhood, according to the press release. The group were the first pups born at the zoo in 15 years. Around 30% of Mexican wolf pups die before their first birthday.
ABQ BioPark expects that Archer will avoid that fate as he joins his parents Kawi and Ryder in the lobo pack.
In addition to its breeding program, the zoo cares for and rehabilitates wolves that are struggling to survive in the wild or get caught in leg traps.
The lobos, which lend their name to a few college athletic programs in the region, are under threat from poachers. Some struggle to breed because of a lack of genetic diversity in the remaining population.
Earlier this year, ABQ rescued two wolves from separate packs who had been snared in leg traps. The zoo plans to release the wolves after further rehab.