Brookfield Zoo Announces Names of Mexican Gray Wolf Puppies

Submitted by the Chicago Zoological Society.
Photo 1: Aldo. Photo 2: Inigo. Photo 3: Magdalena. Photo 4: Nestor

Over the past two weeks, nearly 30,000 votes were cast by the public to determine the names of Brookfield Zoo’s now 10-week-old puppies.

The names that received the most votes for two of the male puppies are Inigo, a Spanish name meaning “fiery,” and Aldo after conservationist and environmentalist Aldo Leopold.

The name that received the most votes for the female puppy is Magdalena, which is a village in New Mexico.

The remaining male puppy had previously been named Nestor by staff in memory of Ernesta, a female wolf who lived at Brookfield Zoo from 2010 to 2012 and was then released to the wild in New Mexico as part of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s recovery program for this species.

The puppies are fully weaned and are now on a solid food diet. They continue to grow by leaps and bounds and are very playful as they continue to explore their habitat at the zoo’s Regenstein Wolf Woods. They will likely remain at Brookfield Zoo through the next breeding season in the hopes their parents, Zana and Flint, will have another litter. This would provide the young wolves the opportunity to help raise the second litter and learn good parenting skills.

The Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo, plays an important role in the Mexican gray wolf recovery program, demonstrating its commitment to helping the population in the wild and raising awareness about an iconic North American species that was once on the brink of extinction.

Those interested in helping to provide the best quality diet and expert care for the Mexican gray wolf family can participate in the Society’s Share the Care program. For a $35 donation, you or a recipient will receive a 5” x 7” color photo of the wolf family, a personalized adoption certificate, a species fact sheet, Share the Care decal, and an invitation to the exclusive Share the Care Evening in 2016 (ticket purchase required). To adopt the wolf family and for further information, visit CZS.org/SharetheCare.