So, you can imagine how overjoyed I am about any program that seeks to help endangered animals. There has to be a special place in Heaven for people who devote their lives to helping those who can’t help themselves.
Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area is pleased to announce the birth of a 3/4 pound female red wolf on May 2, 2014. The Woodlands Nature Station�s captive, endangered red wolves are the proud parents.
The new female pup is just now emerging from her den and stretching her legs followed by two very attentive and nervous parents. She will remain with her parents for at least 18 months and then be transferred to a zoo or nature center to start her own pack.
The Nature Station has been involved with the Red Wolf Recovery Program since 1991, in partnership with the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Seven out of forty captive breeding sites were selected to have puppies. The Nature Station was selected this year to preserve the genetic line of the male wolf, who has reached the age of 13. Red wolves usually do not live past 14 years of age.
Red wolves once dominated southern forests prior to European settlement. As farmsteads and agriculture changed the landscape, red wolves quickly disappeared from many parts of the South. There are no red wolves in the wild at Land Between The Lakes and there are no plans to re-introduce them.
Today, red wolves can only be found in a small, isolated population in the northeast portion of North Carolina.
For more information on red wolves and the Woodlands Nature Station, call 270-924-2299 or click here to visit their website. Follow Nature Station on Twitter @LBLNature for up to the minute pictures and information surrounding their beautiful and meticulously cared for birds and animals. The pictures make them one of my favorite accounts to follow on Twitter!
Click the following link to learn more about the Red Wolf Recovery Program.
Photos Courtesy of LBL’s Nature Station.
