Filming for Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom
Watch the full episode now on NBC. S3 E2 | Leader of the Pack.
In early May, Running Wild Media had the opportunity to join Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and the Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom team to document the exciting Mexican wolf recovery effort—featuring puppies born at the Endangered Wolf Center and their incredible journey back to the wild.
Each spring, Mexican wolf pups are born in zoological facilities across the United States. When the timing aligns, these pups are carefully paired with wild dens—a process known as fostering. If a wild den is found with pups of a similar age, the zoo-born pups are flown to the field and placed with the wild litter, helping to strengthen genetic diversity and bolster the wild population.
Once roaming widely across the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) nearly disappeared by the mid-20th century due to government-sponsored eradication campaigns, habitat loss, and conflicts with livestock. By the 1970s, only a handful of individuals remained in the wild. Through a collaborative breeding program between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Mexican government, and accredited zoological institutions, the species was saved from extinction. In 1998, reintroduction efforts began, and today the population has grown to over 250 wolves in the wild—an inspiring testament to decades of conservation work, yet still one of the most endangered mammals in North America.
To capture this remarkable story, Running Wild Media Co-founder Justin Grubb met the Endangered Wolf Center team at 2:00 a.m. to prepare for an extraordinary task—entering wolf enclosures to gently collect newborn Mexican wolf pups, just days old and still with their eyes closed. Justin’s extensive experience filming wolves and his longstanding relationship with the Endangered Wolf Center made it possible to document this critical and sensitive stage of the process.
Once the pups were safely retrieved from their dens, they were taken to the Center’s veterinary facility to be weighed, vaccinated, and carefully prepared for their journey west. They were then loaded onto a LightHawk-sponsored flight, where they received attentive care and feeding along the way. Upon arrival, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists conducted final health checks before accompanying the pups to their new wild den—where Peter Gros helped gently place them into what would become their forever home.
The episode aired on October 11th on NBC as part of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild—the latest chapter of the iconic wildlife series that has inspired generations of nature enthusiasts since the 1960s. The show, currently hosted by Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and Peter Gros, highlights modern conservation stories across the country, showcasing the people and organizations working to protect endangered species and restore wild places.
To learn more about the Mexican wolf recovery effort, watch our short film produced for Scientific American that follows this incredible journey—from the quiet moments inside a den at the Endangered Wolf Center, where the pups take their first breaths, to their release into a wild den hundreds of miles away. The film captures the dedication, science, and heart behind one of North America’s most inspiring conservation success stories.
