Spring 2013 Our Mission: IN THIS ISSUE: What’s new and what’s ahead. To preserve and protect Mexican gray wolves, red Pages 2-3 wolves and other wild canid species, with purpose A healthy planet needs wolves. and passion, through carefully managed breeding, Pages 4-5 reintroduction and inspiring education programs. Remembering founder Carol Perkins. Page 10 1 EXECUTIVE Director’S message The past year saw many changes. Among the highlights: Dear Friends of the TOURS AND EVents: A big thank you must Endangered Wolf Center, go to The JCo, John 2013 Events The daytime tour was revamped and renamed the Preda-Tour, Dallman Construction, offering a 90-minute mix of education and firsthand viewing It’s been just over a year since I and Elaine Swanger of the five species at the Center: Mexican gray wolves, red became the Executive Director at the Designs for all of wolves, maned wolves, African painted dogs and swift foxes. Endangered Wolf Center, and I can’t their help and pro- June 15: Preda-Tours are offered Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and tell you how excited I am to be a bono support. Our are supplemented by private tours and special opportunities part of such a wonderful, important Charity Polo Match classroom now has a offered Wednesdays through Sundays. Those include enrichment organization. I would like to take this sense of place, which experiences, keeper training experiences, special-access photo opportunity to introduce myself, and June 17–20: invites our guests and VIP tours, and Keeper for a Day programs. to highlight a few exciting changes that Summer Wolf Camp to stay longer and have taken place and more that are on The evening Campfire Wolf Howls were also revised, offering a enjoy snacks and the the horizon. June 26–29: children’s reading nook, Virginia Busch 90-minute program of education and entertainment, and the opportunity to hear and howl with the wolves. Campfire Howls and to visit the Celeste I’ve lived in St. Louis all of my life, Teacher Open Houses take place every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, except for two Ruwwe Gift Shop. attending Community School, John Burroughs and Washington University. nights a month when Wine & Cheese Wolf Howls for adults I have deep roots in St. Louis and, as part of the Busch family, have July 8–11: are substituted. (All tours and campfires take a break in April always had a connection to wildlife and animals through SeaWorld and ENCLOSURE Summer Wolf Camp and May for puppy season.) The Center even held a romantic Busch Gardens — the two flagship brands of the former Anheuser-Busch ENHANCEMents: Wine & Chocolate Wolf Howl for Valentine’s Day. The evening Adventure Park family — along with Grant’s Farm. July 22–25: schedule can be viewed on our Events Calendar at www. Last year, with a Working on behalf of wildlife and wild places has been a passion I’ve pursued Summer Wolf Camp endangeredwolfcenter.org generous donation since childhood. After graduation, I spent eight years as the spokesperson from Pittsburgh Pipe in St. Louis and volunteer Brad Richmond, and conservation ambassador for SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, as well as Sept. 28: we were able to install large tunnels in our African painted dog SPECIAL EVents: habitat and in Anna’s (Mexican gray wolf) habitat. The wolves President of the non-profit SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund. Wolf Fest Family is very important to me, so the opportunity to channel this passion The past year saw a repeat of many cherished activities, including use the tunnels to run through, hide in, play, get shade in the summer or sun themselves in the winter. The keepers love through a company my great-great-grandfather helped found was, simply Nov. 2: Wolf Fest, Members’ Day, Holiday Boutique, the Volunteer put, awesome. Appreciation Dinner, Midnight Howl 5K Run and Trivia Night. hiding enrichment in the tunnels and on top of them. Members’ Day As President, I awarded grants to organizations that brought innovative, The inaugural Charity Polo Match held June 16 at Billy Busch’s Volunteers from the Center and the American Association community-based ideas and solutions to issues where human-animal Nov. 8: polo complex in New Melle, Mo. was very successful in raising of Zoo Keepers have helped repair erosion in some of the enclosures, some of which are 42 years old. We also received conflict existed. Let’s face it, especially for wolves, being wild is hard. Our Midnight Howl 5K Run funds and introducing new prospects to the Center. About 500 goal is not just to reintroduce these magnificent animals into the wild, people attended. All of the vendors that participated did an donations of two new equipment sheds from Home Depot and Ann Jackson. but to set them up for success once they get there. Under my leadership, Dec. 7: incredible job contributing unique services and products for our Center will continue to explore such win-win solutions with partner our guests. organizations on behalf of wolves. Holiday Boutique The Center also launched a new Speakers Series with experts NATIVE GARDENS PARTNERSHIP: Having left the Fund to start a family of my own, I always kept a connection Dec. 10: in wildlife conservation. The Speaker Series has included Missouri Nature Scapes, Missouri Wildflowers Nursery, Shaw to wildlife and their welfare, serving as National Council Member for the Volunteer Holiday Potluck two visits from Greg Rasmussen, founder of the Painted Dog Nature Reserve, Home Depot, Kirkwood Material Supply and World Wildlife Fund, as a board member for Fauna and Flora International, Conservation project in Zimbabwe, and a visit by Matt Lewis of Complete Tree Service joined forces with us to create three the St. Louis Zoo and a committee member for the National Geographic the World Wildlife Fund. native gardens (shade, partial shade and full sun) to help teach Society Council of Advisors. But I have to say, nothing has excited me more our visitors about the beautiful plant life native to Missouri. than the opportunity I have with the Endangered Wolf Center. With a rich history behind us and ambitious goals ahead, I’ll be counting on your For more OUR LOGO: Planting native species is important to maintaining a healthy support more than ever. Our logo got a refresh in 2012. The new logo keeps with the ecosystem. It cuts down on the spread of invasive plants and information feel of the old logo while contemporizing it. The family theme foreign diseases. It also helps wildlife like songbirds, monarch Soon you will see more changes, including new office space and an of parent and pups was pulled out even more to highlight our butterflies and mammals that depend on these plants for enhanced website. My vision is to raise the bar for the Endangered on events, or key mission at the Center: reproduction. Additionally, the font shelter and food. If you are interested in learning more about Wolf Center on all fronts — awareness, quality, education — creating was brought up to date, and overall the logo was simplified so setting up a native garden in your own backyard, check out an engaging destination for families and wildlife lovers to enjoy, and a to make a that the Center could utilize it across different mediums. Thank missourinaturescapes.com. successful program to help wolves survive and thrive in the wild places of you to Authentus Group and Elaine Swanger Designs for their this world we all share. reservation, call guidance and help with this endeavor. 636-938-5900. OUR STAFF: Executive Director Virginia Busch and the Board of Directors OUR CLASSROOM: created a new organizational structure, with separate directors The Endangered Wolf Center classroom, or more fondly known of Animal Care, Development and Operations. The Center Sincerely, as the Igloo, badly needed a new look—in spring 2012, when currently has 15 staff members, and is working to recruit and Virginia Busch the Center closed for puppy season, we updated the Classroom train new volunteers to increase the ranks of an already strong to feel like an underground den with some whimsical license. volunteer network. 2 3 conservation NEWS Yellowstone is a PAINTED DOG prime example PARTNERS of restoring a African painted dogs have Wolves are vital to helped forge a partnership between the Endangered Wolf healthy balance Center and an organization half a world away in a healthy ecosystem of nature Zimbabwe. Virginia Busch and Greg Rasmussen BY REGINA MOSSOTTI, DIRECTOR OF ANIMAL CARE AND CONSERVATION African painted dogs (Lycaon pictus)—also known as African wild dogs, cape hunting dogs or painted wolves—are a critically endangered canid that is native to sub-Sahara Africa. It’s Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were recently removed from the puppies as a family. I’ll admit such behavior probably wouldn’t and created habitat for amphibians and endangered estimated that this once ubiquitous species now has only between protection of the Endangered Species Act because their make for a good Hollywood thriller, but it’s the very reason fish like the steelhead trout. And even elk, the primary 3,000 to 5,000 individuals left. population numbers had improved in many areas, which in this species has been revered in so many cultures throughout prey for wolves, benefited too: The wolves helped and of itself is a good thing and should be the goal of every history. Perhaps if more people understood the complexities remove the sick, old and weak and created a stronger, Painted dogs are one of the most social animals, always needing recovery project (we joke at the Endangered Wolf Center that of the animal and their role as a keystone species in the healthier herd.