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

As you all know, or should know, redbud flowers are edible. To me, they have a sweet, crispy taste. They make a nice topping on a salad. Lemurs eat redbud flowers too. They seem to enjoy the colorful flowers with uncommon delight, as recently displayed by our resident ring-tailed lemurs. The flowers were placed in their enclosure by the Animal Care Team (ACT) and were quickly pounced upon by the primates. Here’s a few shots of the ubiquitous Madagascan prosimians enjoying the bounty. Redbud is on the menu.Can’t get enough.The sweet, crispy redbud buds and flowers.A once-a-year treat.The flower ..read more

Happy Women’s History Month! We at the Museum of Life and Science had the pleasure of hosting our annual Engineers Day event earlier this month, and with it some incredible local scientists. Women are still underrepresented in the field of engineering, making up only 16.7% of professional engineers and architects in the United States. I was excited this year to highlight some of the incredible women doing work in this field. Kendra Settles, an electrical engineer with Siemens, led circuitry activities in The Lab exhibit space. Her programs are always awesome — you may have seen her previously ..read more

In November 2023, El Futuro and the Museum of Life and Science came together to co-create a nature-based learning experience inspired by the Museum’s Nature Kids program. El Futuro is a community-based nonprofit organization that seeks to transform Latino-serving mental health care in North Carolina and beyond. Connections with nature have been shown to generate positive emotions, lower stress, and improve mental health. This program was facilitated in Spanish with attention to a culturally responsive approach to nature-based learning. This was an opportunity for caregivers to socialize with o ..read more

This is the time of year I start to look for courtship or mating behavior in our Red Wolves. All Red Wolves are born in April or May. Given the gestation period for Red Wolves averages 63 days, now through the end of February is the best time to witness breeding behavior in our Red Wolves. If it happens, it will happen soon. Our female, Oak, seems to be doing all she can to interest our big male, Adeyha. Oak follows Adeyha, walks under or over (not around) him, and tries her best to elicit play. But so far he doesn’t seem interested. He seems to be doing his best to ignore Oak. Sticking close ..read more

With incredible sadness, we say goodbye to a cherished member of our Museum family, Gus, the magnificent 18-year-old American black bear. Gus graced our lives with his presence at the Museum of Life and Science and became an enduring symbol of kindness, compassion, and wonder for visitors of all ages. Last week, after Animal Care staff noticed a dramatic change in Gus’ behavior, veterinarians from the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine were on campus to sedate and perform a physical, including radiographs, blood work, and ultrasound. The results were not good; an in ..read more

At the Museum of Life and Science, we know that change starts with aligning people around a common vision to do better. With this in mind, we are proud to offer an increasing number of environmentally sustainable and socially responsible products in Elements Museum Store and Gizmo Garage. Sourcing as many products as possible that are fair trade, recycled, up-cycled, or local is a mission we take seriously but also have a lot of fun with! Our favorite part of this initiative is the opportunity to work with some truly incredible local vendor partners and we’d love to share some of their stories ..read more

It is with heavy hearts that we bid farewell to a cherished member of our Museum of Life and Science family — Miss Piggy, a pot-bellied pig who graced us with her presence for an incredible 15 years. She shuffled into our lives as a young pig in May 2009, leaving an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of knowing her. Considered an elderly pig, Miss Piggy had several age-related health issues. After a recent decline in her health and well-being, we made the responsible decision to euthanize her on Monday, January 29. Veterinarians from North Carolina State University College of Veterin ..read more

Our newest black bear, Murray, arrived almost two years to the date of Little Bear’s arrival. In addition to the same timeline, and circumstances, he came with a lot of the same issues. It took Little Bear over 12 months of behavior plans, medicines, care, and natural bear biology to kick in before she settled in here. Murray’s been on grounds for three months. During Murray’s first couple weeks here we learned he seemed to really like ice (and water). So we prepared daily ice cubes/treats and gave him larger water troughs. The story is the same … Wildlife officials contacted me about a cub th ..read more