Guest guest Posted March 20, 2010 Report Share Posted March 20, 2010 Join us for a Yellowstone Adventure this May! Our June trip is sold out! But, it's not too late to register for a Yellowstone Spring Adventure! The WCC and The Wild Side, LLC, invite you to travel with us to Yellowstone National Park this spring to observe wild wolves in the ecosystem they have helped save. The adventure begins May 24 and ends May 28 The trip is open to individuals and families with children 16 or older but space is limited. The new registration deadline is March 15, 2010. For more information and trip itinerary, please Upcoming Events Lecture Series The Wolf Conservation Center encourages conservation efforts not only for wolves, but also for all wild species. The WCC lecture series continues this March with a very special program: The Truth about the Eastern Coyote March 28, 2010 - Join coyote researcher Daniel Bogan for a special talk about Westchester's largest wild canine predator - the eastern coyote. Bogan will provide an overview of the coyote's natural history and reveal how these animals have adapted to living in suburban areas across North America. He will discuss coyote behavior and the issues that arise as these wild predators interact with humans, highways, pets and other animals. Guests will also join in a howl while visiting with ambassador wolves- Kaila, Apache, Lukas and Atka as well as WCC's red wolves now on exhibit! Pre-registration is required. Click here to register today! Sunset Photo Sessions March 7, 2010 - Join us for this special opportunity to photograph the wolves in their winter glory during during the warm glow of the sunset! Photographers will shoot from vantage points not available during regular visits. Cider and refreshments will be served. Space is limited, so click here to make your reservation today! The WCC Needs Your Help to Save us from the Snow! The wolves love the tons of white stuff that have blanketed Westchester this season - but our ancient plow couldn't handle it. We burnt out its transmission in the last blizzard, and had to turn to a friend's trusty ATV to clear the paths we need to care for the wolves, check fence lines, and get from one end of the WCC to the other. We have an immediate opportunity to buy that ATV for $5000 - a very good price - if we can raise the money quickly. So we really need your help! If just 50 special friends of the WCC send in a $100 donation marked for the ATV we will be able to make this happen. Please click here to help us at this critical time - pups are on the way and we need to be able to access them reliably! Thank you! www.nywolf.org Follow us on Facebook and the WCC BLOG! Are you on facebook? The WCC is! Follow the adventures of the ambassador pack, receive updates on the WCC's three breeding pairs and stay up to date on the latest news about wolves around the world. Visit us on Facebook and the WCC BLOG to learn, share and enter free contests with great prizes! Contributors: Rebecca Bose James Dodge III J. Henry Fair Debbie Heineman Joel Hoffman Maggie Howell Greg Koch: gkphotography.net Josh Lewis Spencer Wilhelm In This Issue Join the WCC on an Adventure in Yellowstone! Upcoming Events Help Save Us from the Snow! Are you on Facebook? So is the WCC! Contributors Hoping Pups are on the Way! Science Helps WCC Bank for the Future Arctic Fest: Wings and Wolves Hoping Pups are on the Way! Spring is coming, which means not only an end to a long snowy winter, but also a chance for pups at the WCC! This year we have three breeding pairs of wolves: one pair of Mexican gray wolves and two red wolf pairs. The selection of these genetically valuable wolves by their respective Species Survival Plan (SSP) management groups gives the WCC a chance to have SSP pups born on premises for the second time. Wolves are mono-estrus, breeding once a year, always during the winter months, so we've been keeping an eye out recently for signs of amorous behavior among the six lucky wolves. We've been fortunate enough to witness what appears to be a blossoming relationship between F1397 and M1483, our on-exhibit red wolves. When the pair was introduced in mid November, they played it cool. M1483 seemed a bit awkward, while F1397 was far more concerned with cuddling up with her food. Their shyness seemed quite natural, but we were very happy when, weeks later, we began to observe courtship signs such as following each other, parallel walking, and what seemed like flirtatious play. Some of the most exciting behavior, appropriately captured on film over Valentine's Day weekend, suggests that F1397 and M1483 might have bred. If this is the case, visitors to the WCC might get a chance to view pups this April or May! Click to watch their video: "Body Language of Love." Some of the potential pups might not stay in South Salem long as the Red Wolf Recovery Program employs a pup fostering program to introduce captive red wolves into the wild. Fostering is a method which allows captive-born red wolf pups to become integrated into the wild red wolf population. Every spring, field biologists with the Red Wolf Recovery Program listen for the whines and peeps of wild red wolf pups as the scientists search for dens. Some of these dens may serve as the foster home for captive born red wolf pups! A number of captive-born pups each year are selected to be inserted into the den of wild wolves that have recently given birth to pups. The fostering program has been quite successful because the wild wolves embrace and raise these new pups as their own. Consequently, the pups develop in the wild, thus gaining the survival skills necessary to mature and reproduce. So cross your fingers and stay tuned. With the potential for three litters, pups on view, and fostering by wild wolves, the WCC should have a memorable and exciting spring! To help the WCC continue its work in the SSP breeding programs for the Mexican gray wolf and red wolf, please contribute today! Science Helps WCC "Bank" for the Future February 19, 2010 - Already home to 25 critically endangered Mexican gray wolves, the Wolf Conservation Center made another valuable contribution to the preservation of the species through the collection and banking of genetic data. Under the guidance of Cheri Asa and Karen Bauman, reproduction specialists for the Mexican wolf SSP from the St. Louis Zoo, and Norwalk Veterinary Hospital's Charlie Duffy VMD, WCC staff and volunteers extracted semen from 6 genetically valuable Mexican gray wolves to store for potential future in vitro fertilization. Artificial insemination has already been used with some success in the Mexican wolf breeding program, so it is important to collect genetic material from wolves deemed good candidates in case they do not have the opportunity to breed during their lifetimes. The process of obtaining the genetic material from males is harmless and relatively simple. (The process of getting through the day without excessive giggles, puns and one-liners, however, was a challenge we were unable to meet!) Once collected, the semen was frozen and placed into storage, where it will remain until needed, which could be decades from now. It takes a great team to help save a species from the brink of extinction. Thank you to all the dedicated volunteers and experts for your help in safeguarding the future of the Mexican gray wolf! Click to learn more about the volunteer opportunities at the WCC! Arctic Fest: Wings and Wolves...Wow! Winter may be a wonderland for wolves, but with each passing snowstorm the season has become more and more of a challenge for the WCC's operations and programs. Finally, on February 28, 2010, the WCC staff and volunteers made peace with Mother Nature by celebrating one of the iciest places on earth: the arctic. Arctic Fest: Wings and Wolves, a new WCC program, dared attendees to use their imaginations to travel far from NY to the high arctic, a frozen region shrouded with snow and ice and veiled in darkness during the long winter season. With reminders of the most recent blizzard all around, this challenge wasn't a stretch... The snow seemed appropriate when guests witnessed how comfortable winter can be for four very special arctic ambassadors: Dynamite the Gyrfalcon, Juno the Snowy Owl, and the WCC's own Apache and Atka. Master falconer Brian Bradley, of Skyhunters in Flight, discussed some of the similarities that these arctic animals can share as he walked his large birds about the classroom. Dynamite interrupted Bradley's talk on a number of occasions with his falcon squawks and peeps and once stopped to ogle the bucket of meat set aside in the corner for a later encounter with the wolves! When it was time to visit the wolves, Apache, Kaila, Lukas and Atka howled away along with the guests. Apache, like Dynamite, interrupted conversation with his beautiful song... nobody complained! The event ended with an exciting flight demo from Dynamite. Guests oohed and aahed as Dynamite climbed high above the WCC's meadow and dove through the crowd! I think I'll look at winter differently now. I can't wait until next year when the Skyhunters will hopefully return! To view a calendar of of the WCC's upcoming events, please click here! USA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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