Chattanooga Nature Center’s Red Wolf Pups Thriving

April 3rd, 2007 will always be remembered at the Chattanooga Nature Center (CNC) as a Red Letter day. Make that a Red Wolf day. After years of meticulous planning, and with the support of a nationwide network of wolf specialists and enthusiasts looking on, the CNC was able to successfully breed a pair of carefully selected red wolves, adding to the tiny national population of canus rufus by a grand total of five. Now the 16-month old pups are actually larger than their mother, and they’re playing a critical role in the reestablishment of their species.

For Tish Gailmard, wildlife curator at CNC, the wolf births were the culmination of years of work that had happily paid off. “We were about to jump out of our skins we were so excited,” she says of the days leading up to the event. She’s been on staff at the CNC since 2000, but her background included a degree in fine arts, because although she loved animals, when she was in school there was no program for doing what she does now. She is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, and is also licensed to care for injured wildlife. Essentially, Gailmard has constructed her own curriculum, attending countless seminars, being mentored by experts across the country, and getting the on-the- job training that was needed to pull together a project that was a very big deal in animal species recovery circles.

The red wolf breeding program at CNC is part of a consortium of 40 facilities that come together each year to talk about red wolf issues. Those issues include how to care for those wolves that live in both captivity and in the wild, how to genetically determine what the best mix of males and females will be in selecting breeding couples, and, perhaps more importantly, how to increase the red wolf’s numbers. A goal of 550 total wolves is the target, but no one expects that figure to be reached in the near future. The CNC was selected to attempt the 2007 breeding project by the consortium, and it was also chosen to be the host site for the 2008 meeting, both indications of the esteem in which it is held in wolf circles.

The lead-up to the big event last year was kept a secret, but CNC staff constantly monitored the 75’ by 100’ enclosed wolf habitat using personal observation and a series of remote cameras. One was dubbed the “den cam.” “Unless you do a sonogram on a wolf you won’t be able to tell she’s pregnant until the last few days,” says Gailmard. “We knew to watch for signs that she was pulling her belly hair out. I came to work one morning and sure enough, she had plucked out her hair. My eyes were as big as saucers. Then, a few days later, I suddenly heard the pups. I started calling everyone and yelling, “They’re here! They’re here!”

To understand how important the red wolf births at CNC were in the Wolf Grand Scheme of Things, you must first understand a few facts. First, the red wolf is one of only two native American species, the other being the gray wolf. Historically its home turf was always the southeastern United States, and it would have been familiar to early settlers in Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia. And, best estimates indicate that only about 300 red wolves are still around, a figure that includes about 200 in captivity and another 100 or so in the wild, specifically on a 1.5 million acre peninsula on the outer banks of North Carolina. Saving the remaining red wolf population is a passionate calling to a select group of scientists, animal geneticists, and wildlife experts, and the CNC births were a welcome signal that restoration of the species is continuing its progress. The Red Wolf Species Survival Plan, the consortium that coordinates the red wolf breeding project, won the American Zoological Association North American Conservation award for 2007.

Throughout history and literature, the fear and hatred of wolves has been common, and poorly based in fact. From Little Red Riding Hood to the Three Little Pigs to Peter and the Wolf to Stephen King, wolves have been the theme of countless fear-inspiring stories. Truly destructive to farmer’s herds and naturally dangerous in appearance, wolves were hunted relentlessly throughout Europe; by the time of Henry VIII, in the mid 1500’s, there were all gone in England. Although no recorded, credible instance of a fatal wolf attack has ever occurred there, the almost pathological fear of wolves in Russia extended right down to the 20th Century. When settlers pushed into the American Southeast in the 1700s, they brought hundreds of year’s worth of irrational fears with them. Literally the first bill passed in the newly formed state of Alabama in 1819 was a bounty on the skins of wolves. The law had two consequences: first, it bankrupted the state treasury; and second, it wiped out the red wolf population. Of the current wild red wolf population there have only been 4 depredations since 1997, and those animals had gotten out of their pens. And the attacks were not on people.

Happily, the era of wolf-hating seems past, at least in the eastern United States. Now that the wolf pups at CNC are here, the facility is taking great pains to keep them healthy. Tish Gailmard says the wolves basically raise themselves, and with the aid of joy stick-controlled pan and tilt monitoring cameras, the need to make closer contact with the growing pups in minimized. The ten wolves at CNC, “wolf down” about 40 pounds of high quality dog chow every two days. Natural items added to their meals include deer, fish, beaver, and other red meat to more closely mimic the natural diet of wolves in the wild. And the public can watch it all via the internet by going to the CNC website: www.chattanooganaturecenter.org.

The cameras are currently being moved, but will available for viewing on the website in the near future.

But the story is not over. Careful genetic testing will determine the future breeding arrangements of the pups, which are valuable additions to the limited gene pool of the remaining red wolves. Fortunately, a local veterinarian, Dr. Chris Keller, has developed  skills as an exotic vet, and has been a key player in keeping the pups healthy. Dr. Keller also serves as the vet at the Tennessee Aquarium. And Gailmard and the CNC staff will continue to add to the non-profit’s status as a leader in canus rufus restoration. “We want to be the place where you come to see red wolves. This is a special thing for us in Chattanooga,” she says. “You can stand four feet away from these wolves and look them right in the eye.” 

The best times to visit the red wolves are in the early morning and late afternoon. Tish says that when it’s really hot, forget it: they’re not coming out. And remember that CNC is not supported by city, state, or federal funds. They need the support of members, donations, and grants to continue their work. To contact the Chattanooga Nature Center, call 423-821-1160. Volunteers for various tasks are always welcomed.LV