Learn About

Red Wolves | At the Museum

The red wolf (Canis rufus) is one of the most endangered animals in the world, a shy species that once roamed throughout the Southeastern United States. As of summer 2007 approximately 100 red wolves lived wild; another 208 individuals lived at 38 captive breeding facilities such as zoos and museums.

Fast Facts

Carnivores

Life Span

Four to six years.

Size

Two to three feet at the shoulder; males 44-90 pounds; females 35-65 pounds.

Habitat and Range in North Carolina

Alligator River and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuges in eastern North Carolina.


The Museum of Life and Science’s first red wolf arrived in November 1992, followed by a litter of pups in May 1993 and another in April 2002. The red wolves living at the Museum now are brothers born in 2005 at the North Carolina Zoo. They are here as part of the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP). Every summer the SSP management team meets to decide which wolves should live together and where, so we don’t know how long ours will stay at the Museum. That’s also why we haven’t given them names (like most of the animals that live at the Museum). They go by the SSP Studbook numbers:

 

  • Studbook # 1390
    This wolf seems to be the most comfortable, or at least less skittish, around the Keepers. He is the one that tends to come into the side cage first, and is the alpha male of the group.
  • Studbook # 1391
    This wolf has Progressive Retinal Atrophy, and is almost blind. He gets along well in the exhibit and the Keepers keep a close watch on him to make sure he is okay.

  • Studbook # 1389 - euthanized February 2008
    This wolf had hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD), a joint disease that made his front “ankle” joints enlarged. He received treatment for it while at the NC Zoo. In November 2007, however, he became lame. X-rays showed torn ligaments in two of his limbs, as well as extensive arthritis. Since surgery or other veterinary action could not relieve his condition, our animal care team decided that the best option was to euthanize this wolf to prevent further suffering.

Wolf Care

"We're constantly trying to provide enrichment for our wolves. We give them bones of all shapes and sizes (as long as they are big), and even other parts of animals like dried pig ears and turkey toes. After Christmas, we gather Christmas trees and put them in with the wolves. They do lots of scent marking and dragging of the trees.

Sometimes we even provide inadvertent enrichment, like when we tried installing cameras and video equipment in the wolf enclosure. It didn't matter how we secured things, they moved them or tore cables. (Needless to say we removed all pieces so they cannot get hurt.)"

The red wolf habitat in Explore the Wild features a stream with a waterfall and wolf dens. A rock quarry wall is a naturalistic backdrop for the exhibit, not only for its aesthetic appeal, but also to provide the wolves with vertical challenges.