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

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