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