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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s Hogle Zoo is ending a 60-year tradition of caring for North American Gray Wolves as they prepare to transfer their lone wolf, Angel, to a sanctuary in the Pacific Northwest.
Angel was acquired in 2017 to keep Glacier, another wolf, company after his companion passed away in 2017, Erica Hansen, the zoo's community relations manager told KSL.com. “Knowing a wolf’s social dynamics are of utmost importance, we needed to find another solo, senior wolf to be Glacier’s companion,” she explained. “Angel was brought in from a sanctuary. She was a good fit because she was not really part of an established pack.”
Once Glacier died in the fall of 2018, the zoo began working on the best solution for caring for Angel, who is now the only wolf in its possession. "We know this will be a difficult transition for many in our community," Hansen said in a press release. "Wolves are among our more popular animals and we will all miss them."
In the past, Hogle Zoo might have sought out another wolf to maintain the exhibit and keep Angel company, the press release explained. These days, gray wolves have healthy populations in the wild and are no longer considered an endangered species, so zoos aren’t participating in the management of wolf populations anymore. In other words, they are not breeding gray wolves, so the acquisition of one is a lot more complicated.
"We absolutely do not take animals from the wild unless it's a rescue," Hansen said in the press release. "Without an SSP (species survival plan) for gray wolves, we would begin a cycle of acquiring, transporting and replacing aging animals without partnerships."
As they aren’t actively breeding the animals, Hogle Zoo would have to continuously bring older animals in to keep one another company. Hansen told KSL.com, “Bringing in one senior animal to be companions with another senior animal puts us in this difficult position every year or two as they age.”
Without a pack to keep her company here in Salt Lake City, zoo officials believe that Angel will be better served by living out the remainder of her life at Wolf Haven International sanctuary in Washington. At almost 12 years of age, she’s becoming a senior herself. Angel’s transfer will begin when winter storms have subsided in the Western U.S.
The Hogle Zoo plans to modify the wolf exhibit to accommodate four young red foxes, which are both rescue animals in need of a home and native to Utah, according to the press release.
"The foxes are young and playful, and they live right here in our own backyard," Hansen said in the press release. "Plus, they are rescued animals that needed a good home, so we're happy we can offer them a great quality of life while educating our guests on some of Utah's interesting species."
