Howl with the wolves at Point Defiance Zoo
 TACOMA, Wash. — Wolves will
be the center of attention Oct. 16-17 when Point
Defiance Zoo & Aquarium celebrates Wolf Weekend.
Highlights include a wolf-howling
contest at 1:45 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 17. Youngsters will be invited
to show off their best wolf howls at the Wild Wonders Outdoor
Theater. Each child who takes part will receive a prize and will
be entered into a drawing for a grand prize.
Will Waddell, who oversees the
Zoo’s red wolf program, will make appearances between 11
a.m. and 1 p.m. both days to talk with Zoo visitors about the
Zoo’s efforts toward saving the critically endangered red
wolf. Visitors will be able to examine artifacts from red wolves
and an extinct relative, the dire wolf, as well as from foxes
and coyotes.
Activities will be centered at
the zoo’s red wolf exhibit from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. both
days. In the event of foul weather, activities will be moved
into the North Pacific Aquarium.
The Zoo’s celebration is
part of the 2004 National Wolf Awareness Week, being observed
Oct. 17-23 this year. During this time, zoos and wildlife refuges
throughout North America will call attention to wolves’ struggle
for survival.
When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service sought help to establish centers for the agency’s
captive breeding and release program for red wolves three decades
ago, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium stepped up to help. The
federal agency is trying to build sustainable, free-ranging red
wolf populations in the southeastern United States, part of the
red wolf’s native range.
“We’re part of this
national observance because Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
pioneered efforts to bring the red wolf back from the brink of
extinction,” Waddell said. “Because
the red wolf is not from here, it’s important that we participate
in this event to share the red wolf recovery story and to promote
the value of wolf conservation.”
The zoo also is contributing to
science. Last year, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium became
the first zoo to use a noninvasive hormonal monitoring technique
to establish the ideal time to artificially inseminate female
wolves. Dr. Karen Goodrowe, the zoo’s general curator and
red wolf reproductive
adviser, and Waddell led the effort. Waddell also serves as coordinator of
the American Zoo & Aquarium Association’s Red Wolf Species Survival
Plan.
“This was a huge step for
us. This is the first time fecal hormone analysis alone has been
used to time artificial insemination in any species,” Goodrowe
said. “The new process is much less stressful for the animals,
making this a valuable tool for managing this critically endangered
species. ”
She and the veterinary staff
also have been collecting and freezing wolf semen to establish
a genome resource bank, or "frozen zoo," for use
with artificial insemination efforts. They hope this will help
ensure the future of red wolves for many generations to come. |
