RWSSP of the month--Akron Zoo, host of 2014 RWSSP meeting

The Red Wolf Species Survival Plan (RWSSP) is the foundation of the Red Wolf Recovery Program. To let people know what’s happening throughout the program through, we are continuing to feature different RWSSP locations.  The RWSSP of the month is the Akron Zoo in Akron, Ohio.  In 1900, George and Ann Perkins donated 79 acres of land to be designated as a public park.  In 1979, the zoo changed its name to the Akron Zoological Park. In addition, the City of Akron turned over governance of the zoo to the Board of Trustees when the zoo became a non-profit organization.  The Zoo has expanded enormously in the past 30 years, adding numerous exhibits and features. In 2013, it opened its largest exhibit to date: the Mike & Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge exhibit, which features bald eagles, an aviary, grizzly bears, otters, red wolves and coyotes.

We are very excited to have Akron Zoo as one of the newest RWSSP locations, joining the network in 2013. Currently, they have two female sibling red wolves (1856F and 1857F) that were born in 2011 at Miller Park Zoo (Bloomington, IL).  These two new additions to the zoo bring a lot of new visitors!

Akron Zoo offers multiple programs and opportunities for folks to learn about the zoo including a variety of tours and programs including Keeper for a Day, and Zoo Veterinarian for a Day.  Please check out their website for more information.

Captive red wolf, Akron Zoo. Photo credit: R. Harrison/UFSWS.

Captive red wolf, Akron Zoo. Photo credit: R. Harrison/UFSWS.

Just last week, the Akron Zoo hosted the 2014 RWSSP annual meeting. More than 25 participants from 20 locations met over three days to discuss husbandry methods and techniques, current and ongoing red wolf research, and facility updates.  The majority the meeting is dedicated to examining all the available breeding wolves in the RWSSP network (across 40+ locations) to see if individuals need to be moved from facility to facility to form the best potential breeding pairs.  With more than 175 breeding red wolves in the captive population, this is no small feat.  Age, health history, genetic relatedness, and logistical difficulties of transferring animals are all taken into consideration when deciding new pairs.  We are hopeful for safe transfers, successful pairings, and more pups next spring!

A tied breeding red wolf pair during breeding season. Photo credit: Greg Dodge.

We would like to extend a big thank you to the RWSSP Coordinator, Will, for organizing everyone for the meeting and the Akron Zoo Curator of Mammals, Eric, to hosting us all!  Thank you to the staff, volunteers, and supporters at the Akron Zoo!!

Please visit their website or Facebook page for more information.

RWSSP of the month—St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge!

The Red Wolf Species Survival Plan (RWSSP) is the foundation of the Red Wolf Recovery Program. To let people know what’s happening throughout the program through, we are continuing to feature different RWSSP locations.  The RWSSP of the month is St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge (SVNWR) along the Gulf coast of northwest Florida.  The 12,490-acre refuge includes two islands: St. Vincent Island and Pig Island, and a mainland tract.  It is managed together with St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge as part of the North Florida Refuge Complex. 

Red wolf pair on SVNWR (trail camera photo)

As an additional strategy to propagate wild red wolf offspring for release, captive born breeding pairs were also relocated to several island propagation sites.  The wolves were released on the islands to live, hunt, breed, and raise their young in a natural environment.  Their offspring, having been raised “wild,” are relocated to the mainland reintroduction sites when they reach dispersal or reproductive age.  The concept being that wild-raised red wolves would be more likely to survive following release.  SVNWR began participating in the RWSSP in 1990, and is currently the only operational island propagation site for current (and future) wild populations. 

11729F captured by a trail camera.

There is one breeding pair currently on St. Vincent NWR. The breeding female 1729F was born on the island in 2007.  She was originally paired with a young male (1565M) born in the SSP facility in Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center (Chattanooga, TN), but did not produce puppies in the three breeding seasons they were together.  Recently, she was assessed by veterinarians and determined reproductively fit.  The male was transferred to Wolf Conservation Center (South Salem , NY) and a new mate, 1804M, arrived in December 2013 (born in 2010) via Lighthawk.  They have been together in an acclimation pen on the island for 2 months and will be released next week!

The animals at SVNWR are critical in the success of the RWSSP component of the red wolf recovery program. In addition to supplementing population numbers, this also augments the wild red wolf gene pool with under-presented genes, increasing genetic diversity and reducing inbreeding and subsequent potential fitness impacts.

Please visit their website or Facebook page for more information!

RWSSP of the month—Tallahassee Museum

The Red Wolf Species Survival Plan (RWSSP) is the foundation of the Red Wolf Recovery Program. To let people know what’s happening throughout the program through, we are continuing to feature different RWSSP locations.  The RWSSP of the month is the Tallahassee Museum  in Tallahassee, Florida. The Museum was first conceived in 1957 as the Tallahassee Junior Museum, but moved to its current 52-acre location in 1962 between Lake Bradford and Lake Hiawatha.  The museum has many diverse exhibits including Big Bend Farm, which is dedicated to the re-creation of rural life in north Florida around 1880 complete with a grist mill and turpentine commissary.  The Old Florida section of the museum includes the 19^th century Bellevue Plantation (once the home of Catherine Murat, a relative of George Washington, and wife of Napoleon Bonaparte's nephew), the 1937 Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, and the 1890s Concord schoolhouse. A large part of the museum is devoted to Florida native habitats and wildlife including bobcats, black bears, white-tailed deer, and two endangered species: the Florida panther and red wolf.

Red wolf at Tallahassee Museum. Photo copyright: Stephen Nakatani.

Tallahassee Museum is currently home to four red wolves, females 1378 and 1786, and males 1359 and 1375. The museum first began participating in the RWSSP in February 1988, when red wolves 219 and 222 arrived from Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, (PDZA; Tacoma, WA).  222 must have not enjoyed the Florida heat, as she returned to PDZA in December 1988.  Female 303 was transferred from PDZA instead as a mate for 219. The pairing was successful, and 219 and 303 went on to serve very important roles in the Red Wolf Recovery Program.  After producing their first litter of three pups at the museum, the pair was transferred in January 1990 to nearby St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge to be the first red wolves at the then-newly established island propagation site.  Three months later, the pair produced two pups (one of which remained on the island, the other which spent time in the northeastern North Carolina wild population before returning to St. Vincent).  In 1991, the breeding pair 219 and 303 was transferred to the reintroduction area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  

Over the years, more than 20 individual red wolves have spent time at the museum.  Additional litters were born there in 2003, including familiar female 1276 now at the Red Wolf Healthcare and Education Facility (Columbia, NC), and in 2005, including current resident 1786. In addition to endless contributions of successful breeding pairs and ongoing educational efforts, Tallahassee Museum also has assisted with the planning, logistics, and transfer of red wolves from other RWSSP facilities to nearby St. Vincent island propagation site.  This has occurred since the original breeding pair went to St. Vincent throughout the years to more recent efforts.  Mike Jones, Animal Curator at the museum, and staff played critical roles in assisting the recent transfer of male 1565 from St. Vincent to RWSSP site Wolf Conservation Center (South Salem, NY). Thank you!!

Please visit their website or Facebook page for more information!

2013 Red Wolf Species Survival Plan Meeting

Last week, different collaborators from 15 facilities participating in the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan (RWSSP) met for the annual RWSSP meeting in Homosassa Springs, Florida at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. The Red Wolf Recovery Program Assistant Coordinator, Becky, joined the group composed of folks from Chattanooga Nature Center (Chattanooga, TN), Endangered Wolf Center (Eureka, MO), North Carolina Museum of Life & Science (Durham, NC), Wildlife Science Center (Forest Lake, MN),Wolf Conservation Center of New York  (South Salem, NY), Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site (Charleston, SC), Tampa Lowry Park Zoo (Tampa, FL), North Carolina Zoological Park (Asheboro, NC), Tallahassee Museum of Natural History, (Tallahassee, FL), Knoxville Zoological Gardens, (Knoxville, TN), Salisbury Zoological Park, (Salisbury, MD), Western NC Nature Center, (Asheville, NC), Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, (Glen Rose, TX), Wolf Haven International, (Tenino, WA), Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, (Homosassa, FL), Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, (Tacoma, WA), and researchers from Louisiana State University.

2013 Red Wolf Species Survival Plan Group. Photo credit: K. Brzeski

Participants met over 3.5 days to discuss husbandry methods and techniques, current and ongoing red wolf research, and facility updates.  The bulk of the meeting is dedicated to examining all the available breeding wolves in the SSP program (across 40+ locations) to see if individuals need to be moved from facility to facility to form the best potential breeding pairs.  With more than 175 breeding red wolves in the captive population, this is no small feat.  Age, health history, genetic relatedness, and logistical difficulties of transferring animals are all taken into consideration when deciding new pairs.  While the matchmaking and moving process looks like a complicated process, the group was a well-oiled machine and successfully tracked and paired all individuals.  Hope's hoping to successful pairings and more pups next spring!

Organizing individuals at different RWSSP facilities.

Examining pairs and red wolf matchmaking.

A tied pair during breeding season. Photo credit: Greg Dodge.

We would like to extend a big thank you to the RWSSP Coordinator, Will, for organizing everyone for the meeting and to the staff at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park for hosting us!

Please visit the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan  to learn more about the facilities participating in the captive breeding program and recovery efforts.