In my previous post about red wolves, I discussed the 5 County Recovery Area. This area currently holds the only wild population of red wolves, and is closely monitored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). It takes a lot of hard work to keep updated records and statistics on this wild population because red wolves are notoriously shy and elusive. Some of the people willing to take on the demanding challenge of gathering this information are field biologists.Read more
Posts tagged: #Marilyn
The many aspects of being a keeper
According to one of our blog polls (to the left of the screen), some of our readers are interested in learning more about life as a keeper. Many of our previous posts give an inside look at the sorts of things we do, such as operant conditioning with Max’s red bucket training, preparing for emergencies by staging a fake black bear escape, and outlining the tools we use when working with venomous snakes. We also post videos and stories aboutRead more
Creature Feature: Sponge Bob the Softshell Turtle
Sponge Bob was found as a quarter-sized baby in 1993, and was kept as a pet until he was given to the museum by his previous owner in 2004. He lives on exhibit in Carolina Wildlife, but if you visit the museum regularly there is a good chance that you may not have ever seen him before! His exhibit used to be set up differently, and he had a large sandbox that he stayed buried in the majority of theRead more
It’s Time for Leafy Treats
Now that spring is here, our animals are able to have special treats (which double as enrichment) that they can’t get all year round. With everything in bloom, it’s a perfect time to give them branches of leaves and new buds, also known as browse. There are only certain types of things we can give them, which have been approved by our veterinarians, because many plants are toxic to animals. Our goats, donkey, sheep and steer receive Russian-olive browse which,Read more
Red Wolf Re-Introduction: The 5-County Area
My last post about red wolves ended on the topic of re-introduction into the wild. In 1987, four breeding pairs were released at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge (ARNWR), located in eastern North Carolina. This was a monumental step in the recovery program for the species; if these 8 individuals were successful at holding territories and reproducing, there was a good chance that a wild population of red wolves could be established once again. To improve the odds ofRead more
Max’s Red Bucket Training
I recently posted an update about our new Jersey steer, Max. Along with being taught how to walk on a leash, we have also been training him to associate a red bucket with his food. Why would we do this, you might ask? That’s a great question! Since he first arrived at the museum, Max has always been very motivated by food. He was quite eager to receive his bottles of formula when he was a calf, and still showsRead more