Trio of Mexican gray wolves arrives at the Seneca Park Zoo

By Linda Quinlan, staff writer

Messenger Post

Posted May 25, 2011

Irondequoit, N.Y. —

Mexican gray wolves have arrived at Monroe County’s Seneca Park Zoo.
County Executive Maggie Brooks was joined by officials from the zoo, the Seneca Park Zoo Society, and the County Parks Department Tuesday morning, May 24, to announce the arrival of three Mexican gray wolves from Julian, Calif.

The wolves were born in April 2007 and arrived at the local zoo last Friday from the California Wolf Center.

Area residents will have the chance to name the wolves. The zoo is holding a naming contest for all three wolves. Names may be submitted to wolves@senecazoo.org and more details about the naming contest may be found at www.senecaparkzoo.org as well as on the zoo’s Facebook page.

As a way of enhancing the experience for visitors to the Seneca Park Zoo, and as a way of welcoming the new wolf brothers, “Wolf Day” is being celebrated all day at the zoo. Students from the Rochester City School District’s World of Inquiry School No. 58 were in attendance to celebrate the day and to tell zoo patrons more about the life of the interesting creatures.

“The students at World of Inquiry learn through the Expeditionary Learning Process, an inquiry-based education system that promotes learning by doing,” said Bart Roselli, Director of Education and Interpretation for the Seneca Park Zoo Society. “The students have created education stations that will be on display all day here at the zoo. The stations focus on everything from wolf social interactions and communication to wolf myths and facts and the role zoos play in the lives of wolves.”

After 33 years of protection under the Endangered Species Act, less than 50 Mexican gray wolves remain in the wild today.

“In the short-term, it’s not our plan to breed these animals, but we are committed to telling the community their story,” said Larry Sorel, County Zoo Director. “These specific wolves haven’t spent much time in the public so they might be shy in the beginning, but our zoo keepers will work hard to make them feel at home.”

The zoo is located at 2222 St. Paul St., in Seneca Park, Rochester.

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