Saving the Red Wolf

We went to the Point Defiance Zoo last week to learn all about their Red Wold Recovery Program. Since we have been studying Environmentalism and Ecosystems, the Pioneers have become very interested in endangered animals. They each did some research on an endangered animal of their choice, and since we have an award-winning recovery program right here in Tacoma, I decided we should go learn about what we can do to help endangered animals.

We took a special class where we learned about the plight of the Red Wolf, why they have become endangered, and how the Zoo has helped to bring the population back from the brink of extinction.

Thinking like scientists, we examined some skulls and pelts to see what we could learn from them. (These came from animals that died of natural causes.) The students noticed the sharp teeth carnivores need to kill and eat their prey, and the thick dense fur that keeps that animals warm, among other things.

 Then we went out to observe the Red Wolves in their habitat. We took notes on what we saw and made sure all the things they need to survive (food, water, shelter, space) were available to them.

Then we went to look at another predator, the Arctic Fox, to make some comparisons.

Finally, we took a little time to look at and learn about some of the other animals at the zoo...

...and to think about few other things we could do to help the environment:

It was great to learn about the efforts being made on behalf of the Red Wolves, but we were very sad to learn that funding for the Red Wolf Recovery Program is in danger of being cut by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Though programs like the one at the zoo have helped increase the population, the recovery effort still faces many challenges and reintroduction into the wild has not been very successful. Like all of the other transitions we have learned about this year, nothing is ever quite that simple. To learn more, here is a link to a documentary with more information about the challenges the program is facing: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/redwolfrevival/144586847