Dec. 14, 2025
Howling for Hope: Leokadia George's Journey with Trumpet the Miracle Wolf Pup
Send us a text In this enlightening episode of Living the Dream with Curveball, we are thrilled to welcome Leokadia George, a passionate author, mental health therapist, and dedicated wolf conservation volunteer. Leokadia shares her inspiring journey of connecting with the Wolf Conservation Center in New York, where she became enamored with the story of Trumpet, a critically endangered Mexican gray wolf. Through her children's book series, "Trumpet the Miracle Wolf Pup," Leokadia brings to li...
In this enlightening episode of Living the Dream with Curveball, we are thrilled to welcome Leokadia George, a passionate author, mental health therapist, and dedicated wolf conservation volunteer. Leokadia shares her inspiring journey of connecting with the Wolf Conservation Center in New York, where she became enamored with the story of Trumpet, a critically endangered Mexican gray wolf. Through her children's book series, "Trumpet the Miracle Wolf Pup," Leokadia brings to life the extraordinary tale of this remarkable wolf, illustrating the importance of wildlife conservation and the role of keystone species in maintaining ecological balance. Listeners will gain insight into the challenges of preserving endangered species, the significance of genetic diversity, and the heartwarming stories that unfold at the conservation center. Leokadia also discusses her upcoming projects, including readings at local libraries and independent bookstores, as she continues to spread awareness about the plight of wolves. Join us for a heartfelt conversation that blends storytelling with a call to action for animal conservation.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Welcome to the Living the Dream podcast with Curveball. if you believe you can achieve. Welcome to the Living the Dream with Curveball podcast, a show where I interview guests that teach, motivate and inspire. Today, I am m joined by author, mental health therapist, and wolf center volunteer Monica Leo Kadia George. Leo Kadia volunteers, at a wolf center. She's got a book series out about a wolf named Trumpet. So we're going to be talking to her about the book and about what she does as a mental health therapist and as a Wolf center volunteer and everything that she's up to and gonna be up to. Soleil Khadija, thank you so much for joining me.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>Thank you for having me here. I'm super excited to share Trumpet's story.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Why don't you start off by telling everybody a little bit about yourself?
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> Monica Leo Kadia>I am a mental health therapist, but, almost a decade ago, I was introduced to the Wolf Conservation center in South Salem, New York and started volunteering there. at some point I started learning about one of the critically endangered Mexican gray wolf stories. Her nickname is Trumpet. Her official name is F1505. she is, just an inspiration to me. And, I started to write about her amazing story. I ended up writing a children's book series about her, Trumpet the miracle wolf pup. It's now four books in the series, and each book is a different segment about her life. So, it's just been a fun, experience to kind of read the story to kids and get, that feedback from the kids, how they enjoy hearing about her, her life.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, talk about the Wolf Conservation center that you volunteer for. You. You know, let us know what they do and give us the backstory on Trumpet's life.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>Yeah. So the Wolf Conservation center, like I said, it's in, in New York, they participate in the SAFE program, saving animals from extinction.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>Have some ambassador wolves that, are socialized.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>They are, Canadian Rocky Mountain gray wolves.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>And, they were raised by humans. But most of the wolves at the Wolf Conservation center are actually, these critically endangered wild wolves.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>They are the red wolves and then also the Mexican gray wolves. They almost, both of those wolves almost went, to full extinction. and they were actually fully extinct in the wild, for a time period. But, the U.S. fish and Wildlife was able to, gather those wolves together, start a program to repopulate, to build up the numbers for, ah, both of those species of wolves. And, so I started to learn about that and then, started assisting with animal Care at the Wolf Conservation Center.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>And that's when I started to learn about Trumpet's story. so her backstory is actually, she is the number. She was the number one most genetically distinct wolf in the entire program. And that was because she is the only descendant from her father. He was the number one genetically most, most genetically distinct wolf. and until unfortunately he had some fertility issues. so you know, she was actually considered a miracle birth when I learned about that. And also the reason why she was nicknamed Trumpet, like this is perfect for kids. We got to get this in the hands of kids.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>and so I suggested to the Wolf Conservation center that they should start writing the story. And they I think realized how big of a project that would be. so when they weren't, weren't going to do that, I asked if I could do it. And I actually donate 50% of the royalties from from the book sales back to the Wolf Conservation Center. and I also donate to other conserv. groups, organizations for wolves. But it's just been a really amazing experience to be able to share her story in this format, especially.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Where you're really passionate about saving extinct animals. So talk about the importance and your passion of saving extinct animals.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>Yeah, so, you know, I just The animals are a blessing for us. we do need to value them and and respect all different animal, all the different animals. and one. And if one animal is starting to go extinct, that is a warning sign. It's a warning sign, you know, also for the ecosystem that something's out of balance. you know, we should really be respecting how that ecosystem operates because when, especially if it's a keystone species that really regulates, all the other species around it, it's. It's dangerous to that whole ecosystem and it can falter and then affect all the other animals. So we definitely need to make sure that everything is in balance. and these wolves are a keystone species. They, they do help all the different other, all the other animals and as well as vegetation, wildlife. you know, we saw that in the example. The most famous example would be that of the reintroduction into Yellowstone where all of a sudden when we reintroduced these wolves, the ungulate population started to become better regulated and they weren't grazing everything to. So now that you know that, that brush, those saplings, everything could start regrowing. And as that did, that helped out the you know, the songbird population that Helped out, you know, all the, all these different species that m. Really need a healthy ecosystem to thrive.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, let's talk a little bit about the pup grouse foster program. Explained to listeners, what that program is and what it, what it does.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>So so Mexican gray wolves, like I said, they did go extinct for a time period in the wild. Then they were reintroduced, I believe it was in 1998 that they were reintroduced into Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico. and as that population started to build, there was, you know, a combination of letting that wild pop repopulate itself. But obviously since these, the they almost went extinct, genetics was a big challenge. So one of the things that needs to be done is the that other wolves from the captive population need to also be sent to the wild to help with the genetic diversity. at some point the U.S. fish and Wildlife decided that ah, they just only wanted pups to be cross fostered or fostered. So what that is is that when puppies are born to a captive mother and father, they can take some of those puppies before they're two weeks old and they can fly them out to Arizona or New Mexico and put those puppies into a den, of ah, a mother that has puppies around the same age, a litter around the same age. They can do that. And wolves are one of the animals that will adopt other puppies. So it really is amazing that that we can get that genetic material in that, in that fashion. And Trumpet is one of the wolves that has had that chance because she's so genetically distinct.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>she's actually cross fostered. I believe it's 14 puppies now. not all from the same litter obviously. multiple times she's been able to have some of her puppies cross fostered into the wild.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>And that will end up probably be in the fifth book is just to highlight that, that part of it that one of her puppies at that time was cross fostered into the wild and just to to take kids on that journey to say, you know, to show them that it's a blessing and that also not only do we have these captive populations of wolves that also we have the wolves in the wild and they are just as valuable, and to let kids be able to celebrate that in a hopeful manner.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, let's talk about Trumpet's courting behavior and how she likes to drag deer carcasses into her den.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>Yeah. So one of the exciting things that at the wolf conservation that they have, they have live web cameras. So anybody can go to newyorkwolf.org and log on to those web cameras and they can watch, you know, any, any one of the families.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>they have typically an enclosure camera and then they also have a den camera. Trumpet actually gave birth to the three, puppies on the COVID of the fourth book. She gave birth to them live on that den camera. And so we were able to watch her, you know, giving birth. But then also after caring for these puppies, nurturing them, nursing them and you know, she's a little spunky. I, I love, I love writing about her because, she's got these, you know, variety of of characteristics. So she has been known to, you know, when they get fed a carcass, kind of grab a little portion of that and bring that into her den. and one time that was you, the head of a deer. in another time it was like the full rack of the deer head and head and the back ribs. And she's kind of, you know, saving up those snacks for, you know, when she has to just stay in the den with her puppies and she just gets a little hunger.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>All right, well, tell us about any upcoming projects that you're working on that listeners need to be aware of.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>so, right now the the fourth book is, ah, is out and about. so people can, can get the books at online retailers. They can get the books at the Wolf Conservation Center. If they sign up for a program, they can go to the store there, in various independent bookstores. So I've been really highlighting that book. I'll be doing a library reading at the lois Library on December 6th. I will also be on the November 29th I will be at Book Love doing a ah, reading. That's an indie independent bookstore in Massachusetts. and just trying to get this book out there. But like I said, these books are each a different segment of her life. So I did want to highlight that cross foster. and that would be the fifth book. So I do have the rough draft, written out, but I don't have the illustrations yet or you know, I haven't completed the manuscript, as far as the editing.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>And so that is in the process. But that would be the next step, as far as this series for, for Trumpet.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, so listeners can keep up with everything that you're up to. Throw out your contact info.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>Yeah, so, anybody can email me at leocadiageorge books gmail.com I have a bio with my publisher, and also up to date events that I've done at Briley and Baxter Publications. so, you know, anybody can kind of look at that and listen. This podcast will be up there too. and then if anybody wants to follow, Troy Trumpet, she, you know, you can see her on those web cameras or learn more about her or the Mexican gray wolves@newyorkwolf.org and obviously, you know, check out, definitely check out those web cameras.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>It's fun to watch them.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>All right, close us out with some final thoughts.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Maybe if that was something I forgot to talk about that you would like to touch on or any final thoughts you have for the listeners.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>yeah, so, when reading these books or any, like, any, books about wol, my recommendation and something I've done for each of these books, I've always added a howling moment so that you can have a group howl. Get those kids howling, howl with them. It's such a bonding experience. and it's, and, and it's just fun to like, listen to the kids howling together. it's something that I always recommend doing. Kind of, kind of makes it interactive. But just the just howling just brings out some, an immense joy. And you know, I just always recommend doing that obviously in the libraries, they might not like it so much, but, definitely when, reading in the classrooms or at home, give, give a good howl.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>All right, ladies and gentlemen, check out everything. Leo Karia's going to be up to pick up the books. You know, share this with all of the kids that you know, share this to parents with kids. Share this to as many people as possible.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>For more information on the Living the Dream with curveball podcast, visit www.craveballuh337.com.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Thank you for listening and supporting the show.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>And Leo Kadia, thank you for all that you're doing for the Mexican Wolves and, and thank you for writing this book and thank you for joining me.
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> Monica Leo Kadia>Thank you so much.
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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>For more information on the Living the Dream with Curveball podcast, visit www.craveball337.com until next time, keep living the Dr.
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