Another Red Wolf pup check is done. We start early, around 7 am, before temperatures get miserable.  As stated in the last pupdate, catch-ups now start taking longer. With the pups out and about and not easily following our plan, the catch-up took longer than five minutes. Furthermore, us humans have to move around in the wolf habitat more to get the pups where we want them to go. Additionally, each pup gets its own crate at this point since they are MUCH bigger now. The tasks are the same at this check: confirm microchips, get weights, give a second round of vaccines, the last round of ..read more

Another Red Wolf pup check is complete. As the pups move around the habitat more, catching them up becomes the hardest part. No longer can we just open the den door and quickly gather them up. Instead, a coordinated team effort is needed to quickly, efficiently, and safely catch up the pups. This took less than five minutes (4:55 to be exact) to get all five pups back in the den. With a watcher and timer on Wolf Overlook, and four teams of staff moving or stationed strategically through the wolf habitat, each pup scurried along the edge of the habitat eventually running back into the den. Once ..read more

It may be hot out there, but at least their’s plenty to look at to get your mind off the temperature, somewhat. Green tree frog peeks out from frog pipe in Earth Moves.Female blue dasher.Male blue dasher.Fiery skipper on heliotrope.Fiery skipper from behind.Male fragile forktail.Male great blue skimmer.Another male great blue skimmer.Green heron drops in.Scanning for fish, tadpoles, dragonflies…Green striped mapleworm will become a lovely pink and yellow moth called the rosy maple moth.Red wolf pup takes break in shade.Female slaty skimmer.Female slaty skimmer about to lay eggs in water (ovipo ..read more

Now a little more than one month old, the five Red Wolf pups are less “wiggle worm” and more curious chaos, so if you follow us on social media (and you should), you’ve likely seen the videos and photos of the pups making their first moves into the world beyond the den. Three weeks is the usual timeframe for young Red Wolves to start wandering, and this batch of pups was no different. A brave pup takes an early step outside the den with mom, Oak. Last week, the Animal Care Team joined up with NC State College of Veterinary Medicine’s Dr. Tara Harrison (and her students!) to perform another ser ..read more

Spring is in full swing at the Museum, and with it all kinds of critters abound. Today, May 11, happens to be the springtime World Migratory Bird Day, which is a perfect chance to recap from our first Spring into Action event, last Saturday’s Bird Bonanza! Ranger Greg, our park naturalist, was out and about throughout the day, helping folks complete their bird bingo sheets. If you haven’t checked out Ranger Greg’s blog posts, you absolutely should — they’re a treat! He’s also put together a full (but ever-updating) list of the birds that you can spot on the Museum’s campus. For Bird Bonanza, w ..read more

Spring is finally here, and farmers’ market season is underway! The Museum is grateful to the Durham Farmers’ Market staff along with the surrounding Durham community for supporting us with our sixth season at the downtown market. We took the necessary step outside of our 84-acre campus to offer free resources and education to any Durham resident who cannot regularly access us at the Museum. We value meeting people where they are, and it is proven well as we continue to form new partnerships. Because of this, we continuously engage with our local communities to ensure we are aware of their nee ..read more

The Museum of Life and Science welcomed over 100 teens from across North Carolina to participate in the annual North Carolina Youth Climate Summit on February 18-19, 2024. The Youth Climate Summit is a two-day event where high school students learn about the latest climate science and how they can work together to bring positive change to their communities. From the mountains to the coastal plains, students from high schools, environmental clubs, teen youth groups, and afterschool programs brought unique perspectives to discuss the effects of climate change. Students participated in hands-on s ..read more

Having Red Wolf pups at the Museum is one of the most inspirational and exciting things to happen. It’s also one of the most stressful and daunting times. The first 30 days of a pup’s life are critical and fraught with many perils. Our role as human caregivers is to provide a quality environment, with plenty of food for the adult wolves to eat. Then, we let the wolves do the rest. The mantra of “less is more” when it comes to human presence around the Red Wolves is an important adage to remember and one that the USFWS Red Wolf Recovery Program asks of us. Our 2024 litter of Red Wolf pups Remem ..read more

For the first time since 2019, the Museum of Life and Science has welcomed a litter of Red Wolf pups! On Sunday, April 21, five-year-old female Oak (F2304) gave birth to seven pups. Their arrival is a beacon of hope for the species and a significant milestone in our conservation efforts. After allowing the new family to adjust for a few days, the Animal Care Team was able to carry out the first of many assessments of the litter today, Wednesday, April 24. With weights taken and physical examinations completed, all seven pups have been determined to be in good health. We were also able to conf ..read more

Oak, our female Red Wolf on display in Explore the Wild, is the more active of the two wolves in the enclosure. You’re more likely to see the sleek Oak trotting about the enclosure than the big lumbering male Adeyha. Here, in true Oak fashion, she romps in the tall grass of the compound. On the other side of the enclosure… Adeyha looks on. The object of Oak’s attention is a deer pelt given her by the Animal Care Team (ACT). The post Red Wolf at play appeared first on Museum of Life and Science ..read more