Some good news for all Red Wolf lovers

wolf01 — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Red Wolf 1287

I try not to be biased towards wolves but I just can’t help it – they are wonderful beasts, none more so than the American Red Wolf which sadly and outrageously is one of the World’s most endangered mammals with only around 100 left in the wild. I was excited last year (see Blog 6 April 2011) when it looked like one of the rare red wolves was pregnant in Durham Zoo, North Carolina, USA. Sadly Wolf 1287, as she is known, was only having a phantom pregnancy and, so far, is still not pregnant.

Red Wolf 1287 howling

Here she is howling – I hope she stops soon or we’ll all be howling with her, poor thing.

There is still no news from Durham Zoo about 1287 but this May there have been some new arrivals in other American zoos that have signed up for the breeding programme (Species Survival Plan) that will, one day I hope, reintroduce the Red Wolf back into the wild. Red Wolf Ayasha from Great Plains Zoo in South Dakota has given birth to three pups.

And then Point Defiance Zoo at Tacoma, Washington announced that Red Wolf Millie has given birth to five pups. Here is Millie suckling her brood:

Red Wolf Millie looks worried when the vet borrows her pups.

Tacoma Zoo has now issued this update video of the pups who seem to be thriving and happy:

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A Happy Event Promised For Durham Zoo and Red Wolf 1287

wolf01 — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 08:39:00 +0000

Red Wolf 1287

I am keeping Red Wolf 1287 in my thoughts today because I hear she is removing hair from her belly. Now that is a good sign, it means that Red Wolf 1287, an inmate of Durham Zoo in the USA, is, yes, pregnant.

Congratulations all round if this is true. Great news for Red Wolf 1287 and for Red Wolf 1369 her male companion but it is great for the World too because the red wolf is the most endangered of all canine species, extinct in the wild and with only 300 known to exist anywhere.

Red Wolf 1287, if she is indeed pregnant, could have up to six puppies some time in April or May, so, if my maths is right, that could take the total to 306.

I wonder what they will name them, I have always loved the name 1370 but we could argue about that for hours.

In case you think Durham Zoo is a bit unimaginative in its animal names, all endangered species are known by their number. They started their breeding programme in the 1970s but admit that they are struggling to maintain the species genome. It was would be a tragedy if we lose this beautiful creature. Let’s all hope that one day there will be a Red Wolf One Million.

Should we send flowers? Or maybe a nice recently killed sheep? I’ll go take a look for one now.

Good luck Red Wolf 1287.

if you want to know more about these inspiring creatures, here is a link to the Red Wolf Recovery Program:

ow.ly/4tT2J.

The post A Happy Event Promised For Durham Zoo and Red Wolf 1287 appeared first on Wolfie Wolfgang.

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Some good news for all Red Wolf lovers

A Happy Event Promised For Durham Zoo and Red Wolf 1287