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 tagged: #endangered species
QuikPost: red wolf article
A lengthy and inclusive article about red wolves and the issues they face was in the Charlotte Observer Sunday. Click here to read it, or click on the link below. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/07/10/1555761/gunshots-put-a-rare-species-atRead more
Yet one more hurdle
As much as I love red wolves, Sherry often times sends me updates on the happenings inside the red wolf Species Survival Plan and Recovery Program. Sometimes she sends me good news about the breeding program, or maybe just cute pictures of our wolves like the one below. But recently she sent me an email about a news release that was disturbing. The release discussed the increase of a reward to anyone who has information about two missing red wolves.Read more
Do you know all the species of bears?
For Bear Awareness Week, I thought I would publish this post from a couple of years ago. Although the population information on each species is a little different now, it still gives you a good idea of the bears’ plight in the wild. We have some great stuff going on for Bear Awareness Week, that you can read about in a post that Erin just wrote. And if you come to the bear overlook this Wednesday or Saturday, you canRead more
Acronyms Galore!
SSP, AZA, USFWS, ARNWR, RWC, PDZA, RWSSP, RWRP. These are all acronyms used when talking about the Red Wolf Recovery Program (RWRP). Originally, I was just going to explain what a Species Survival Plan (SSP) is, so that the readers can have a better idea of how the red wolf breeding program works. But it’s not that simple, because there are several facets of the program. Here is an overview for you. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) tookRead more
The scoop on Red Wolf poop
Keeper Katy and I recently attended a talk at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences titled “The History and Future of the Red Wolf (Canis rufus) in North Carolina.” It was given by Justin Bohling from the University of Idaho, who is a graduate student in Lisette Wait’s lab. Besides giving a good background on the history of the Red Wolf Recovery Project administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), he presented his application of some new genetic techniquesRead more