Fostering is important because it not only increases the wild population, but it also helps to keep the genetic diversity as high as possible. If you remember from a previous post, genetic diversity is a constant battle when managing the red wolf breeding program. There are many variables that have to fall neatly into place for a successful foster to occur. To start, red wolf field biologists must be able to follow the movements and actions of a wild, radio-collared female wolfRead more
Posts filed in: Wolves
A pleasant morning walk
A few days ago, I set off from the building around 9:00 am to go train the red ruffed lemurs in Explore The Wild (ETW). I decided to take a camera so that I could take pictures of some of our animals along the way. I first stopped off in the farmyard and was greeted by the two nigerian dwarf goats, Patches and Rocky. They are brothers and both like a good head and neck scratch from keepers and visitors alike, but thisRead more
Fun with a fake sheep
We like to make work fun around here whenever possible. Sometimes that fun can be as simple as joking about what the emergency radio call would be if someone were to spontaneously combust while busting up ice in the bear moat (this is a joke between me and Kimberly). But the fun can also be as simple as pranking one of our teammates…. or even just picking on them. The other day, Kimberly and I set out to make aRead more
You are now free to Explore the Wild
This past Wednesday was my scheduled day to be checked off by Sherry in Explore the Wild. Last week Marilyn (my trainer) checked me off but before I can work alone in the Lemur, Wolf, and Bear exhibits- I have to spend a day working with Sherry out there. Now my very lovely co-workers like to get me anxious and nervous before things like getting checked off in an area, my first day alone in an area, and my first emergency training. Read more
A morning in ETW
Sherry is always trying to remind me to take the camera out with me in the morning before heading to Explore the Wild. After all, you never know what sorts of interesting things you could find to blog about! Well, a couple of Thursdays ago, I finally remembered to take the camera! So this is what mine and Mikey’s morning looked like… It started with one of our vehicles being broken, so we had to share a vehicle with theRead more
QuikPost: red wolf update
We had both the male and female red wolves off exhibit last week to try to help them more positively bond with each other. It appears that the male bit the female a few weeks ago. She recovered really well from her wound, but when you see her now on exhibit you might notice her shaved neck. If you head to the wolf exhibit, please let us know what you notice our red wolves doing. Thanks!Read more