The Wolf America Almost Lost with Bailey Cadena

By the 1970s, only seven Mexican gray wolves remained in the wild — and the species had vanished from the United States entirely. On this episode of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom The Podcast, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant sits down with Bailey Cadena, AZA's co-vice program lead for the SAFE Mexican Wolf Program at the  @cincinnatizoo . Together they trace the wolf's recovery from a single enclosure founded by Wild Kingdom's original host, Marlin Perkins, to a population now standing at 319 in the U.S. and 25+ in Mexico. Bailey explains the science of cross-fostering: placing zoo-born pups into wild dens before their eyes even open. She also covers the wolf's role as a keystone species reshaping entire ecosystems. And she shares why recovery depends just as much on ranchers and communities living alongside wolves as it does on the animals themselves. Subscribe for more wildlife stories. Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild airs weekends on NBC's "The More You Know" programming block. Co-Hosts Peter Gros and Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant share conservation success stories happening all around us. They take us to wild places as we meet incredible species and the amazing people working to save them. Check your local listings for the airtime in your area. For more information on Protecting the Wild including how to stream full episodes for free, check here: https://wildkingdom.co/4zsGfoN Check us out on our other platforms for more animal facts, wildlife conservation success stories, original series nostalgia and more!  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildkingdomtv  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildkingdomtv/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildkingdomtv  #Podcast #BackFromTheBrink #WildKingdom