From Our Leadership
Executive Director’s Letter
2025 marked the 40th anniversary of the founding of the International Wolf Center. Our organization has shown an extraordinary capacity to adapt to changing conditions while remaining focused to our core mission of wolf education. 2025 exemplified both the strength of our foundation and our ability to innovate in multiple ways.
The year opened with the release of a new book from founder Dr. L. David Mech titled “The Wolves of Ellesmere” and closed with special presentations by two researchers who studied under Dr. Mech – Dr. Tom Gable of the Voyageurs Wolf Project and Mike Phillips formerly of the Yellowstone Wolf Project. These events highlight the International Wolf Center’s continued commitment to wolf research and supporting efforts to share the latest science with our community.
Our ability to innovate was illustrated through the addition of the Recite Me toolbar to our website. This tool allows all visitors to www.wolf.org to access translation and accessibility features making the wolf content on the site available to a much broader audience. We also began an exciting new effort to renovate our kids exhibit Little Wolf – which opened to the public in 2026. This included the development of a new partnership with local Anishinaabe partners which allowed us to include Ojibwemowin language and culture in many elements of the new exhibit.
Like the wolves we study and teach about, the International Wolf Center has proven to be resilient and steadfast in the pursuit of our mission over the decades. Thanks to all who have been part of the story of the International Wolf Center for the last forty years and to those helping shape the forty years yet to come!
Education
Sylvia Reed, left, and Taylor Lebron were the 2025 recipients of the Dr. L. David Mech Fellowship.
Dr. L. David Mech Fellowships
The International Wolf Center created the Dr. L. David Mech Fellowship to help reduce barriers for undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds by providing the bridge support necessary to explore careers in natural sciences or wildlife biology. Each year up to two recipients receive a $6,000 stipend and are reimbursed up to $4,000 for research-related expenses such as gear and travel.
Our 2025 fellows, Taylor Lebron and Sylvia Reed, participated in unique research projects. Taylor joined the Isle Royale Wolf-Moose project at Isle Royale National Park. They worked with researcher, Sarah Hoy, to assess how changes in wolf abundance influence beaver foraging behavior. Sylvia Reed was part of the Gulf Coast Canine Project, working with researcher Dr. Kristin Brzeski. Sylvia assisted with sample collections in the field as well as laboratory analyses to determine the genetic ancestry of distinct canids found in coastal regions of Texas and Louisiana.
Wolf Care
Wolf Care Annual Summary
The Wolf Care and Science Department was very busy in 2025. We started off our year with the anxious hope of adding two pups to our Exhibit Pack. Even without the guarantee of pups, we began planning and preparing as if we are welcoming them in the spring. These preparations included chemically immobilizing and conducting veterinary exams on the ambassador wolves to ensure they were all in optimal health prior to the arrival of new packmates. We also prepared the pup care team by reviewing the literature and completing training on pup rearing and socialization. Our facilities also needed to be ready to house pups; we gathered all the necessary equipment, tools, and supplies in the hopes of a successful whelping.
On April 23rd, we received news that pups had been whelped the night before! We met Cedar and Rowan on May 2nd (Grayson’s birthday!) at ten days old. For the next three months we cared for the pups 24/7 until they were ready to join the adults of the Exhibit Pack. Throughout the summer, Cedar and Rowan not only gave thousands of visitors a peek into wolf pup behavior and development but they also contributed to scientific research. We collaborated with Dr. Kathryn Lord to help test and develop accelerometer devices and software used for monitoring wolf pup movements during their first few weeks of life. They also participated in a mirror recognition study led by Dr. Matheus de Mesquita Silveira, a continuation from previous years of work with Rieka, Caz, and Blackstone.
After nearly three months of round the clock care and bonding with their packmates through the fence, the pups were finally physically introduced, creating a pack of six wolves. The introduction was a calm event that reflected the social cohesiveness among pack members. The wolf care team continued to work hard to monitor the health of our ambassadors, provide them with optimal care, and maintain their enriching habitat, a safe environment for adults and pups.
Findings of the Voyageurs Wolf Project
In October, the organization hosted a discussion with University of Minnesota researcher Dr. Tom Gable at the State Theater in Ely, MN. Nearly 150 participants came out to the State Theater in Ely, MN. Dr. Gable shared findings from more than a decade of work with the Voyageurs Wolf Project and offered a scientific perspective on the factors affecting northern Minnesota’s white-tailed deer population. Drawing on long-term research conducted in and around Voyageurs National Park, Gable explained that severe winter conditions have consistently been the strongest influence on deer numbers, while wolf predation plays a much smaller role than is often perceived. He also addressed public questions about his research, emphasizing that his conclusions are evidence-based and consistent with decades of wildlife science, while noting his lifelong connection to deer hunting and the importance of objective research in informing wildlife management decisions.
Lost Wolves of Yellowstone
In October, members were invited to a sold-out special screening of Lost Wolves of Yellowstone, a compelling new documentary featuring never-before-seen 16mm footage and firsthand interviews. The film tells the intertwined stories of Mollie Beattie, the first woman to lead the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a key champion of Yellowstone’s 1995 wolf reintroduction, and Wolf #5, an alpha female navigating Yellowstone’s remote backcountry.
Just months after the wolves were reintroduced, Beattie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. While she fought for her life, Wolf #5 embarked on a remarkable journey to establish a new territory in one of the park’s most isolated regions. There, she found a new mate and rebuilt her pack, which Yellowstone officials later named Mollie’s Pack in Beattie’s honor.
Following the screening, attendees enjoyed a Q&A with director Thomas Winston and former Yellowstone Wolf Project leader Mike Phillips. It was an unforgettable evening of film, storytelling, and conversation celebrating one of the most ambitious wildlife restoration efforts in history.
Financial information
Annual Expenses and Revenue
2025 was a strong year financially for the International Wolf Center, thanks to incredibly generous support from our members. With income of $3,147,155 and expenses of $2,443,051, we ended the year with net ordinary income of $704,104. The International Wolf Center was pleased to once again receive a four-star rating from Charity Navigator in 2025, as an indicator of our organization’s effective use of donor resources to accomplish our wolf education mission.
Thank you!
Financial Statements
For older financial statements, please email info@wolf.org.
Financial Audits (pdf)
2025 Audited Financial Statement
2024 Audited Financial Statement
2023 Audited Financial Statement
Federal 990’s (pdf)
The International Wolf Center is a 501(c)(3) organization.
