In Memoriam: Zeke (M1049) 2007-2020
It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Zeke (M1049), one of our oldest and most well-known Mexican gray wolf ambassadors. At 13 years of age, Zeke led a long and storied life, spending his final days off-exhibit in retirement and comfort with his companion Sedona. Our Director of Animal Care and SSP Liaison, Heidi Pankratz, has written a beautiful tribute to our dear friend that we wanted to share with you. His sweet presence will be deeply missed. Thank you for everything, Zeke.
Ah, what a year. It's been trying, to say the least. Yesterday morning I unfortunately discovered that Zeke (M1049) had passed away. He was lying down peacefully, with no sign of a struggle or suffering. Although we don't know for sure yet what caused his death, he was 13 years old so he lived a nice long life.
Zeke became one of the most well-known wolves at the California Wolf Center, to US Fish and Wildlife Service, and in the Mexican Wolf SSP (breeding program). How, you ask? Well, he was born in the wild in 2007 to parents who developed a taste for livestock. When Zeke was 2 months old, his parents were slated to be removed from the wild. However, since Zeke and his littermates were so young, they needed to go with their parents. The whole pack was removed from the wild and taken to Sevilleta. At that time, Zeke weighed in at just 4.5 lbs!
When he was 2 years old, he was transferred to the Endangered Wolf Center in St. Louis. Then, when Zeke was almost 4 years old, he was selected to be released into the wild. He would have the chance to meet up with a wild female who was raising pups on her own. However, after just a few days in the wild, reports came in that Zeke had been playing with someone's dog in their backyard. He was removed from the wild again and taken to Ladder Ranch.
Zeke came to the California Wolf Center in 2012. From what I hear, he was the only wolf we've ever seen that seemed to enjoy car rides. He would look out of the windows of his crate and sniff the air.
Although Zeke didn't make the best wild wolf, he was a wonderful ambassador for his species. Zeke lived on exhibit at CWC for many years and was admired by thousands of people. He was a gorgeous wolf and inspired many works of art, including these pieces by Nicole Dornsife, shown below. He got his chance at fame when we had Jack Hanna here to film an episode in 2019. He cooperated well for that vet procedure—thank you, Zeke!
“Lobo” by Nicole Dornsife. This piece has been featured at several of our fundraisers, events, and promotions.
“Sweet Caress” by Nicole Dornsife. This piece features Zeke and his mate Terry nuzzling.
We'll always remember Zeke for being very friendly towards other wolves. He got along with every wolf we housed him with—F890, F891, F892, F893, then F1217 (Terry) and F1216 (Maya), then F1361 (Sedona). Zeke had many girlfriends over the years! Even though he never became a dad (despite numerous attempts), he truly enjoyed living with his lady friends and was frequently seen playing with them and helping them to dig dens.
Zeke didn't appreciate much of our enrichment ideas or even his daily medicated meatballs. What Zeke really loved was companionship. During the breeding seasons that he wasn't selected to breed and was separated, he howled and howled atop his wooden den box for his girl. This happened again when we transferred Terry out, his longtime girlfriend. But just like always, we awarded him with a new mate. At times, he reminded me of Eeyore, following the girls around, half heartedly agreeing to whatever they wanted to do. He was never very dominant and would let the girls lead the pack. He seemed happy with that, though.
Zeke was an easygoing wolf who won lots of hearts. We don't intentionally choose "favorites", and I can honestly say that I love them all, but sometimes something happens to make us feel closer to a certain wolf. Zeke was that wolf for me, and I know I'm not the only one who feels that way.
He left us quickly, quietly, and without anyone's permission—proving us wrong once again.
Rest in peace, fluffy boy. You will be missed.
-Heidi
To our members and guests, if you have any photos or stories about Zeke you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear how he has enriched the lives of others. Please tag us on Facebook, Twitter (@CAWolfCenter), or Instagram (@californiawolfcenter) and we’ll share on our channels and with our team.