September 13, 2007:Maned wolf pups
Rayna and Rosita are growing fast. In fact, they are almost as big
as mom Savannah! While mom Savannah weighs 56.76 pounds, daughters
Rayna weighs 46.64 pounds and Rosita weighs 42.24 pounds. Dad Zev
weighs 64.68 pounds. The girls’ current “favorite” pastime is for
Keepers to spray a water hose in the air. When they do, Rayna and
Rosita chase the water as it hits the ground. As the outdoor
temperature begins to cool, Rayna and Rosita become more active and
visitors will have a better chance of seeing them in the yard during
the day.
BACKGROUND
Three maned wolf pups recently were born at
the Louisville Zoo. A male was born January 7 and two females January 8.
“It was unusual that two additional pups
were born a day later,” said Candy McMahan, assistant curator of
mammals. “But we were thrilled.”
This is not the first litter for Savannah,
9, and Zev, 11. A previous litter was born in 2003.
McMahan said the two were bred based upon a
recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species
Survival Plan (SSP).
“There are only a few species a year at our
Zoo that get breeding recommendations, and this year the maned
wolves Species Survival Plan (SSP) gave us the go ahead to breed our
pair,” said McMahan, who also serves on the maned wolf Species
Survival Plan (SSP) steering committee.
Endangered maned wolves were added to the
SSP in 1985 because of habitat destruction through agricultural
development in their native home—Brazil, Argentina, Parauay and
Bolivia. There are less than 10t0 in zoos nationwide.
“I have always liked maned wolves,” McMahan
said. “The Zoo plans to work with and care for this species for a
long, long time.”
Louisville Zoo Education Curator Marcelle
Gianelloni, in collaboration with several members of the maned wolf
SSP, prepared a maned wolf education bulletin to be used in zoo
education programs. The bulletin has been translated into Portuguese
by Brazilian veterinarian Fabiano Montiani Ferreira and is available
to zoo educators and other interested parties in Brazil.
The male wolf pup was recently
transferred to the Buffalo Zoo at the direction of the
Species Survival Plan (SSP). SSP is a cooperative population
management and conservation program administered by the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to help ensure the
survival of selected wildlife species. Rodolfo was sent to
Buffalo to be a companion for another maned wolf pup who was
orphaned. We will send his name along to the folks at the
Buffalo Zoo.
