To give you an idea of how much of a secret this place was during World War 2, let me tell you a story," says Mike Lonzano, a tour guide at the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, MO, "I once was doing a tour with an elderly group and a guy kept wandering off. I would go up to him and try to keep him with the group. Finally, I asked him, 'What are you doing? You keep wandering off.' He looked at me and said, 'I just realized. This is the place. I worked here during World War 2.' He went on to explain that he was too young to join the military to fight, so he worked for the government in the ammunition bunkers. They would pick him up at Union Station and blindfold him and take him to these hills. At that moment, he just realized where he was working all those years ago." The area he is talking about is in Eureka, MO, a town 20 minutes from St. Louis. The area is not used to house ammunition anymore, but the bunkers and history remain. Eventually the property was bought by Washington University to do vital ecological research and a very important organization leases about 60 acres from the university- called the Endangered Wolf Center.
The Endangered Wolf Center is responsible for a great many things in the wolf world, namely significantly helping the two most endangered wolves in the world, the American red wolf and the Mexican wolf from going extinct. One can tour the facility, see wolves and foxes, and learn about the interesting history of the organization. There are several different types of wolves, as well as foxes and a unique endangered species called the African painted dog, available to learn about at the Center.
Driving into the center feels, "A bit like Jurassic Park," as one visitor put it. When you drive up from getting off Interstate 44 you are greeted with a large gate. The gate slides opens and a staff member comes up and asks what the reason for the visit is. If one says a tour, the staff gets excited and sends you down a long road, traveling to where the tour begins. The Learning Center and gift shop houses the old bunkers. There are over 60 bunkers of varying size hiding in the hills, as well as historic buildings and train tracks used to ship military equipment decades ago.
The tour is well worth the price, both for the information as well as the unique opportunity to see endangered wolves up close. The history of the center is not very long, but storied, and it continues to improve the livelihood of wolves everywhere to this day. The most important contribution to the wolf world, according to the tour as well as other reports, is Anna.
"Anna was the matriarch of the Endangered Wolf Center," the website explains. "Without Anna, the Mexican wolf population would probably not be as healthy today or as well known," Lonzano says. She was a legendary Mexican wolf who produced a record number of pups. Indeed, Anna had rare genetics that was desperately needed to help save the Mexican wolf. Her photo was used in a National Geographic’s Photo Ark and was projected onto both the Empire State Building and the Vatican to help bring awareness to this amazing endangered wolf.
The Mexican wolf was almost lost to extinction, but conservationists got creative and figured out a way to save this wolf. The same trapper who had tracked and killed wolves in the wild was hired to track and capture the last wild wolves in order to enable breeding and therefore saving the species. The website explains that Roy T. McBride caught 5 wolves - 4 males and 1 female. They were in a breeding program in Arizona and the one female was pregnant when captured, but none of the female pups survived. "She was sent here, to her new home and successfully paired with a male, thus starting her legacy," explains Lonzano. These wolves eventually made way for Anna. Anna was the only survivor of the only litter of Santa Anna, her father. The decision was made to be hand-reared to ensure her genetics were saved, since her other litter mates died. Although this meant she would not be released into the wild, it was needed to ensure the survival of the Mexican wolf. Of course, this was a hard decision, but ultimately the right one. Anna gave birth to 41 pups in her 14 years on earth.
There are other wolves and animals to see, too. There is the Maned Wolf from South America, or a wolf that more resembles a large fox with long legs (in fact it isn’t a wolf or a fox). These strange creatures smell like a skunk, eat plants and small mammals, and don’t howl - it is more described as a roar/bark. There are small Swift Foxes and African Painted Dogs, which the tour guide gives fascinating information about. There are also many different tours and activities at the center such as Nighttime Campfire Howls, Keeper for a Day programs, Wolf Fest in the Fall, Wine and Cheese Howls for adults, Overnight Camping, and more.
As a tribute to Anna, the first appearance on the Center’s website is a picture of her face and states very clearly the vision of the center: Sometimes even with just a little hope, one individual can make a world of difference.” Visitors can make a difference by simply going on the tours and being educating about the wolves, as well as financially supporting the center by engaging in activities/outreach and contributing donations. Anna is proof of their Vision! Her legacy lives on because several of her offspring were released in the wild in New Mexico and Arizona. It’s pleasing to know that today, Anna has grandpups roaming free, ensuring the song of the Mexican wolf continues to be heard for generations to come.