Stop 5: The Mexican Gray Wolf

The endangered Mexican wolf

USFWS/Aislinn Maestas

Valles Caldera and the Jemez Mountains were once home to the Mexican wolf or “lobo.” Subject to a federal government eradication campaign, rancher John Davenport shot the last wolf on what was then the Baca Ranch in 1932. They were extinct in the wild by 1970. After a successful reintroduction in 1998, Valles Caldera saw a brief return of the Mexican wolf in December 2023. A keystone species in the ecosystem, the wolf is an important animal for the Hemish people, respected by many Hemish societies for its hunting ability and ties to spirituality.