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Chattanooga Nature Center added two more red wolves to the Wildlife Wanderland this spring and officials there should learn in July if the total of five could soon be increasing.
CNC wildlife curator Tish Gailmard said she will find out during the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan conference in July if any of the center’s five wolves will be allowed to breed this season.
“There are 41 facilities around the country that have red wolves and there are probably four within a day’s drive of Chattanooga,” said Gailmard, who is licensed for wildlife rehabilitation through the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency. “There are very few centers like us with red wolves. Most are zoos, which have a tremendous variety of animals and don’t focus on the red wolves like we do.”
Gailmard said CNC is no stranger to the strict requirements for breeding and is well respected within the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan for its facilities and care.
CNC’s first successful breeding cycle resulted in five pups birthed in 2007 by the center’s 7-year-old female. Gailmard said at that time the center had 11 red wolves, which stretched the resources of the facility.
However, several of the wolves died of old age and three of the female pups were transferred to other locations. Only the mother and her two male pups remained at CNC up to the arrival of the new male and female this spring.
Gailmard said the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan has complete control over where the captive wolves are housed and whether they can breed.
She said the newest male is 4 years old and is on the top ten breeders list for male red wolves. However, since the center’s female has genes over represented in the population, the two may not be allowed to breed. If this is the case, then the males and females will be separated from each other or given contraceptives with their food to ensure no pregnancies take place.
“Litters can range from two to 10,” Gailmard said. “The breeding season is January, February and March. Pups are always born in April and May.”
So far, the new additions to the CNC wolf pack are getting along. The female and her two male offspring are kept in a separate enclosure with four feet of empty space between.
If breeding is recommended, then the male and female pair will be put into a pen that is divided in half. Once they get used to each other the division will be taken out so they can live together.
“We want to increase and to strengthen the bloodline,” Gailmard said. “There are 300 red wolves in the world. About 100 roam wild in the Outer Banks area of North Carolina and 200 are in captivity.”
Gailmard said that 550 red wolves would be a stable number for the population to reach. However, increasing the population requires a delicate game of genetic matchmaking.
Breeding pairs are chosen by a computer program that has the genetic statistics of every captive red wolf. She said only wolves whose combined genetic makeup will strengthen the genome diversity of the species are allowed to breed. This in turn strengthens the bloodline and will eventually help the red wolf population revive.
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