The center has led the Mexican wolf cross-fostering program that began in 2014. Founded in 1971, it sits on 63 isolated, wooded acres, designed to match the cold, silent and humanless habitat where Mexican wolves live.

Through cross-fostering, 8- to 14-day-old pups born in captivity are placed in a den of similar-aged wild pups in remote areas of the Southwest.

Being able to take puppies from facilities like the Endangered Wolf Center and sneaking them into wild litters is a great way for us to be able to get new genetics out into the wild to help keep that wild population healthier, said Regina Mossotti, director of animal care and conservation at the Endangered Wolf Center.

Mexican wolves breed in April and May, leaving a narrow window for cross-fostering.

To successfully cross-foster a wolf pup, officials must identify a wild wolf that has given birth about the same time that a female wolf in captivity at the center gives birth.

When that does happen, the clock starts ticking.

We have to be able to find a flight, the weather has to work and we have to have enough people to do it, Mossotti said. So all these things, these logistics have to come together to make it happen.

Once the team from the Endangered Wolf Center arrives in Arizona, Game & Fish employees join them on a hike to a specific wolf den, often hidden in the rugged terrain along the Arizona-New Mexico state line.

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Diversifying the pack: Cross fostering helps Mexican wolf population boost genetic mix - Arizona Daily Star

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