In my previous post about red wolves, I discussed how the gunshot mortality on the wild population has risen significantly in the past few years. Sadly, it is believed that some of these shootings are intentional, but another reason for the increase is because juvenile red wolves are similar in size to coyotes, and leads to mistaken identity by hunters. This problem may be amplified by the fact that eastern coyotes are larger in size than their western cousins, whichRead more
Posts tagged: #animals
EnrichBits: A New Place for Nimbus
EnrichBits: A monthly look at animal enrichment You may have noticed on your last visit to the Museum, that our farmyard rabbit Nimbus has recently made a move out of her hutch and into the space where our chickens lived. When we decided to retire our 2 older Dominique chickens (they moved to a great home in Tobaccoville where Keeper Larry’s friend is taking care of them), we figured that yard and stall would be a great place to houseRead more
Red Wolf Master Plan meeting follow-Up
I’m finally getting back to you about the end of the red wolf master plan meeting. There were about 30 people in Chattanooga discussing a variety of issues having to do with red wolves. Two different veterinarians presented information. Dr Keller from Chattanooga discussed ectoparasite (like fleas and ticks) issues and best ways to treat. (Luckily for us, we are not having big issues in this area with our wolves). Dr. Reed, from Tacoma, talked about different veterinary protocols, diets,Read more
Creature Feature: Squealer the pot-bellied pig
Yes, his name is Squealer, but the keepers just call him Pig! You can probably guess how he got his name, though. Pot-bellied pigs often times react by squealing when they are petted or touched. This is one reason why you might want to think twice about having a pot-bellied pig as a pet, because you will not be successful at cuddling with it like you would a dog or cat! Pig was born in April of 2000, and wasRead more
It’s been busy
I’ve been trying to write up my notes from the red wolf master plan meeting last week and update you on things learned and the status of our two brothers and where they might be next year, but it has been so busy. I promise I will write about the wolf meeting in my next post, but let me tell you a little about yesterday: A Keeper was out sick. I went to pick up a new chest freezer forRead more
Red Wolf Master Plan update
I’m in Chattanooga and I am getting ready for day two of the red wolf master plan meeting, which I wrote about a month or so ago. We covered a lot of important topics yesterday and had interesting discussions. We learned which types of contraception we should, and more importantly should not use, if we have to contracept red wolves. Most of the time, for red wolves, we are able to use separation of males and females during the shortRead more