Tucked into the wooded hills of Washington University’s Tyson Research Center near St. Louis, the Endangered Wolf Center has spent more than five decades working to pull some of the world’s rarest canids back from the brink of extinction. Founded in 1971 by naturalist Marlin Perkins and his wife Carol, the nonprofit became the first wolf facility in the world certified by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Rather than a typical zoo experience, the center runs as a working breeding and research facility, with guided tours offering a rare look at animals most visitors will never otherwise see up close. Its conservation record is striking: every Mexican gray wolf living wild today traces its ancestry back to wolves bred on this Missouri hillside.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Eureka, Missouri (Tyson Research Center), near St. Louis
- Opened: 1971
- Size: About 63 acres
- Species: 6 endangered canid species, including Mexican wolves, red wolves, and maned wolves
- Annual visitors: More than 13,000
- Famous for: Breeding the ancestors of every Mexican gray wolf now living in the wild
A Working Conservation Facility
Unlike a traditional zoo, the Endangered Wolf Center is built around breeding and reintroduction. It is a founding member of the AZA’s Species Survival Plans for both Mexican wolves and red wolves, two of the most critically endangered canids in North America, and animals born here have been released into the wild in New Mexico, Arizona, and North Carolina.
Guided tours walk visitors past natural, wooded habitats housing Mexican wolves, red wolves, maned wolves, African painted dogs, swift foxes, and fennec foxes, with naturalists explaining each species’ role in the center’s broader survival programs.
Visiting the Center
The center operates as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, receiving no federal or state funding, and relies on tours, memberships, and donations to fund its conservation work. Reservations are required for both daytime tours and its popular evening ‘wolf howl’ programs.
With roughly 13,000 visitors a year, most of them children on school programs, the center keeps a smaller, education-focused footprint than a typical zoo or aquarium, trading large crowds for close, guided encounters with some of the planet’s rarest wild dogs.
Explore more: Explore more Zoos & Aquariums features.
Endangered Wolf Center FAQs
Where is the Endangered Wolf Center located?
It sits on the Tyson Research Center property in Eureka, Missouri, about 20 miles southwest of St. Louis.
What animals can you see at the Endangered Wolf Center?
The center houses six endangered canid species, including Mexican wolves, red wolves, maned wolves, African painted dogs, swift foxes, and fennec foxes.
Can you just walk in, or do you need a reservation?
Reservations are required; the center operates through guided daytime tours and reserved evening wolf howl programs rather than general walk-in admission.
Get More from Endangered Wolf Center
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Endangered Wolf Center, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Photo: Fredlyfish4 / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.