05.2018 CWWC Newsletter

AMAROK, Vice-Mayor of Divide, CO! Every two years our local no-kill animal shelter, Teller County Regional Animal Shelter (TCRAS), holds an election that is also a fundraiser to elect the Mayor of Divide. This year Amarok won ViceMayor! We are so proud of his accomplishment!

Amarok is our timber wolf from Colombia, South America where he was rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. Some perks of Amarok being in office include his stories that educate guests about the wildlife trade and his beautiful fluency in the Spanish language.

Colorado Wolf AND WILDLIFE CENTER MAY 2018

AmeriCorps NCCC Volunteering

CERTIFIED BY THE

The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization certified by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA). Look for this logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things.

The staff here at CWWC are constantly working to stimulate our animals and to provide different kinds of enrichment, whether it is a puzzle or new scents or tastes, or a new way to provide physical or mental exercise.

It takes a lot of imagination to come up with fun toys that are also safe for our heavy chewers. Recently, one of our staff found an organization called Hose2Habitat, which provides free workshops and online tutorials to zoo and sanctuary staff on how to make toys and feeders out of repurposed fire hose. Fire hose is very durable and can withstand the rigors of wolf play. In addition to toys, it can also be use to construct hammocks, tunnels, and animal shapes.

We were able to acquire 12 rolls of various sized hose from the Colorado Springs Fire Station 11, which is the station that provides hose maintenance for all stations in Colorado Springs. They generously offered to cut all the connectors off for us and the hoses were already cleaned. Using some of the tutorials on Hose2Habitat’s website, and some elbow grease, we have already constructed several cubes and they are a hit with the wolves. We can hide treats inside for food play, and the animals also use it as a ball or play keep away with it.

Our thanks to Fire Station 11 for providing the supplies and to Hose2Habitat for providing the instruction!

The contents of the material we include in our newsletter does not necessarily reflect the views of Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center. We collect information from sources that are from other organizations, the web, news feeds, and/or other sources. We choose articles that are in the related field of education and conservation.

To subscribe to our newsletter, visit our website at

wolfeducation.org and sign up on the newsletter page.

| 2 | COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER

COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER | 3 |

The effort to save red wolves in the wild is failing, a five-year review says

By Darryl Fears · April 25 · The Washington Post

The federal government’s bid to keep North North Carolina’s top wildlife official, Gordon America’s only distinctive wolf from disappearMyers, said it’s time to let red wolves disappear, Conservationists ing in the wild is in deep trouble, according to at least from his state. Conservationists who say red wolves are a review of an endangered species program that criticize Fish and Wildlife’s management of the arguably the most was established to save red wolves. reintroduction program say the managers were endangered mammal A colony of red wolves that was reintroduced so tightly focused on introducing red wolves on the planet, in North Carolina in 1987 is failing because of that they failed to reach out to residents in the considering that there poor management and fierce state opposition area and attempt to help them appreciate the are 2,000 Bengal from game officials and hunters who are killanimals. That allowed opponents to demonize tigers in the wild ing it, said the five-year review, prepared by the them. and more than U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southeastern A broader plan to better manage the wolves is 1,500 giant pandas, Regional Office and released recently. being drafted and is expected this summer, said compared with fewer Red wolves were declared extinct in the wild in Fish and Wildlife, a division of the Interior Dethe 1970s when their populations were devaspartment, but critics say it is clear that the agenthan three dozen tated by hunters and their habitat was overtakcy’s heart is not in making the reintroduction wild red wolves. en by coyotes, but a few were bred in zoos. After work.

About 200 red an experimental population was released at the One conservationist group devoted to protectwolves are in zoos.

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge near ing red wolves in North Carolina took issue the Outer Banks, the group managed to reach with Fish and Wildlife’s characterization of its an estimated 130 wolves in 2006. The number currently stands own program. Ron Sutherland of the Wildlands Network in at about 40, a decline more rapid than even the worst-case sce- Durham said the program is failing because Fish and Wildlife narios had predicted, federal officials said. gave up on it.

“There is consensus that the current direction and management “We’re disappointed that the … status review appears to take … is unacceptable to the Service and stakeholders,” the review great pains to describe the North Carolina wild population of said. And “it is obvious that there are significant threats … in red wolves as unsustainable without acknowledging the fact eastern North Carolina and conditions for recovery of the spe- that the decision by FWS leadership to functionally abandon cies are not favorable and a self-sustainable population may not the program is what has led to the striking recent declines in be possible.” red wolf numbers since 2012,” Sutherland said.

Fish and Wildlife vowed to soldier on with its attempt to revive “They stopped releasing new wolves from captivity, they the animals at the refuge, saying it will continue to recognize stopped managing coyotes, and they’ve sat back and watched as red wolves “as the species Canis rufus.” Treating the popula- gunshot mortality shredded the red wolf population,” he said. tion as a species puts the agency in defiance of North Carolina “Time is running out for red wolves,” said Collette Adkins, a biwildlife officials and some scientists, who say the animals are a ologist and attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. “For hybrid created either by a union of gray wolves and coyotes or starters, we need immediate measures in place to stop people are the remnants of a bygone species of pure coyotes. from killing them.”

The fight over the fate of red wolves is playing out at a time Gunshot wounds have been the No. 1 cause of death, but auwhen Republicans in Congress are waging an effort to alter the tomobile collisions also contribute to their mortality. MeanEndangered Species Act in a way that would make protecting while, breeding with coyotes looms as a threat to their genetic plants and animals more difficult. For example, proposed legis- distinctiveness. Coyotes were rare in the area when the wolves lation would strike down a rule that commands federal officials were introduced in 1987 to start a new colony. But now coyto conserve species regardless of the economic effect on a com- otes proliferate not only at the refuge, but across much of the munity in and around their habitats. eastern United States — ironically because of a 20th-century Conservationists say red wolves are arguably the most endan- state-sponsored eradication of wolves, which once killed coygered mammal on the planet, considering that there are 2,000 otes and kept their population down.

Bengal tigers in the wild and more than 1,500 giant pandas, Several pages of the review are devoted to a long-running debate compared with fewer than three dozen wild red wolves. About over whether red wolves are actually part or largely a form of coy200 red wolves are in zoos. ote. More than a half-dozen research papers, genetic testing and | 4 | COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER

Red wolves at the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science in Durham. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

even a working group of experts have failed to arrive at a clear answer. Congress this year ordered the Interior Department to conduct a definitive study of the red wolf ’s origin.

For now, “given the fact that the scientific community is not in agreement on the question of red wolf ” origin, Fish and Wildlife will recognize them as wolves, the review said.

But it might not be able to save them in North Carolina. Fish and Wildlife hinted that it might reduce the number of wolves in the state and establish at least one additional population elsewhere.

“With only one non-essential experimental population in the wild, additional populations are necessary to red wolf viability and, therefore, its ability to persist in the wild,” the report said.

The agency has yet to conduct an analysis of potential new reintroduction areas, but an evaluation is coming.

The review criticized their current territory at a wildlife refuge full of black bears, raccoons and birds as a “marginal habitat … not preferred by the red wolf.”

Landowners’ opposition is a problem that has vexed red wolf program managers. Fish and Wildlife has failed to stop peo-

ple from killing the wolves and once even issued a permit to kill a wolf, prompting a lawsuit that triggered an injunction against the permits. Wolves have been found dead from gunshot wounds with tracking collars still around their necks. On a few occasions, hunters have said that they killed a red wolf after mistaking it for coyotes, which can be shot on sight, according to state law.

Such shootings, particularly in the red wolves’ breeding season, are debilitating. However, the review did not discuss tougher regulations against killing red wolves. Instead, it argues for reducing a population that is already small.

“A smaller wild population will better allow for the support of the captive population component of the red wolf program,” it said.

Sutherland, like other conservationists, was livid. “They repeat several times that saving the wolves will be expensive and time-consuming — hinting at the agency’s reticence to keep working on actual recovery,” he said. “They sound like children who have been asked to complete a chore they don’t want to do.”

COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER | 5 |

One Continent Down, One To Go

Upcoming Events

More information & flyers at wolfeducation.org/calendar

Full Moon and Full Moon Feeding Tours

Magic Restored:

JUNE 2018 Full Moon Tour 6/23 - Check in at 7:30 pm Full Moon Feeding Tours 6/22 & 6/24 Check in at 5:45 pm

Re-establishing the GRAY WOLF to Western Colorado

JULY 2018 Full Moon Tour 7/28 - Check in 7:30 pm Full Moon Feeding Tours 7/27 & 7/29 Check in at 5:45 pm

Lecture, Open Discussion and Silent Auction Join Us June 8th, 2018 · 5-9 pm Antlers Hotel Heritage Room

When it comes to defense, there may be no better animal than the pangolin. If threatened, the pangolin will roll up in a tight ball that’s practically impossible for a predator to penetrate. They are covered nose to tail in plate-like scales that overlap and are made of keratin, the same material as our fingernails and hair. These scales can withstand the teeth of lions, tigers and leopards.

Unfortunately, the quality that has protected the pangolin against predators for millions of years is now the main factor in their demise. The scales of the pangolin are an expensive commodity on the black market, believed to have a number of medicinal purposes such as fighting cancer and improving fertility. Their meat, blood, and fetuses are also in high demand, which begs the questions: what else is left?

On May 3, 2018, the customs office at Saigon Port seized 3.3 tons of pangolin scales illegally imported from Africa. The container was declared to be carrying dried cashew nuts. Earlier in the week, on April 27, nearly 3.8 tons of pangolin scales were seized in Cat Lai Port hidden by timber blocks. Although this was an especially bad week, it is a far from rare occurrence.

Between 2010 and 2015, at least 120 tons of pangolin parts were confiscated by law enforcement, but that represents only | 6 | COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER

a small fraction of what is trafficked internationally. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature estimates that a million pangolins may have crossed international borders in the last decade, made possible by the fact that every year it is estimated there are 27 new global trade routes used by smugglers. That makes the pangolin the world’s most trafficked mammal, as well as one of the most endangered.

Pangolins have been so heavily trafficked that traders have moved from hunting the four Asian species of pangolin to Africa’s four species of pangolin, since the Asian species are nearing extinction. The population numbers of this nocturnal and notoriously shy animal are hard to estimate exactly, but from what we do know, the outlook does not look good. The eight species of pangolin range from vulnerable to critically endangered (two species are critically endangered.)

Raising awareness remains their best chance. For a few people, they are an essential medicine or a prized delicacy. The majority of the rest of the world still isn’t even aware these fascinating animals exist, and especially not that they need our help.

AUGUST 2018 Full Moon Tour 8/25 - Check in 6:30 pm Full Moon Feeding Tours 8/24 & 8/26 Check in at 5:45 pm

4 South Cascade Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80903 Tickets $10 per person Information 719.687.9742 Silent Auction Info RMWP.auction.event@gmail.com Silent Auction Registration 32auctions.com/rmwpauction2018

SEPTEMBER 2018 Full Moon Tour 9/22 - Check in at 6 pm Full Moon Feeding Tours: 9/21 & 9/23 Check in at 3:45 pm OCTOBER 2018 Full Moon Tour 10/20 - Check in 6 pm Full Moon Feeding Tours 10/19 & 10/21 Check in at 3:45 pm

More Events...

June 17 · Father’s Day Event October 28 · Howl-O-Ween November 22 · Turkey Toss December 24 · Winter Wonderland

NOVEMBER 2018 Full Moon Tour 11/24 - Check in at 4 pm Full Moon Feeding Tours 11/23 & 11/25 Check in at 3:45 pm Prepare for a minimum of 2 hours. Reservations are required 719.687.9742 - Full Moon Tours, Full Moon Feeding Tours and all Special Events are PRE-PAY.

–– Matt · CWWC Intern COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER | 7 |

ADOPTION CORNER

ADOPTION CORNER

Available from TCRAS · Teller County Regional Animal Shelter

Available from San Luis Valley Animal Welfare Society

tcrascolorado.com · 719.686.7707 · NO-KILL shelter in Divide, Colorado

slvaws.org · 719.587.woof (9663) · Non-Profit NO-KILL Shelter

Marmaduke

ADOPTION FAIR · Saturdays 11am-5pm at the Petco in Colorado Springs at 5020 N. Nevada

AGE: 2 y 4 m 21 d

Male/Neutered · White/Black Border Collie/Great Dane Hi my name is Marmaduke and I am an adorable big active guy. I am still a young’un and could use some work on my manners and walking on a leash but I am a big loverboy. If you are looking for a new extra large love of your life then I might be the guy for you. Stop in and see.

Amora

AGE: 5 y 2 m 8 d

Female/Spayed · White/Black Domestic Shorthair/Mix This pretty lady came to TCRAS from Texas. She is such a sweetheart.

Loves attention and is also playful.

Please come in to visit with her, she would love to meet you.

Cheyenne

This is a beautiful Malamute mix named Cheyenne who still needs a home. We have had her over 2 years.

She came in from a bad situation and is now very well socialized and affectionate. Best as an only dog with no other pets. She is not stuck in a 10 x 10 kennel but plays in dog parks every day. Meet her at our adoption fair at N. Nevada Petco in Colorado Springs on any Saturday. She would love the mountains.

WHAT

Lecture/Open Discussion/Silent Auction

WHERE

Antlers Hotel® Heritage Room 4 South Cascade Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80903

WHEN

June 8th, 2018 5pm–9pm

TICKETS/INFORMATION ($10.00 per person) 719.687.9742

SILENT AUCTION INFO

RMWP.auction.event@gmail.com

SILENT AUCTION REGISTRATION www.32auctions.com/rmwpauction2018

Magic Restored: Reestablishing the Gray Wolf to Western Colorado Schedule of Events:

5:00-5:30 pm Meet and greet with wolves

Mike Phillips, conservation biologist

5:45-7:30 pm Lecture with Mike Phillips, a biologist who was instrumental in the return of Gray Wolves to the Greater Yellowstone Area. He is also a Project Leader for the wolf restoration effort from its inception and focuses on imperiled species recovery.

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7:30-8:00 pm Q&A about wolves and restoration. Presentation of RMWP’s short films; Chorus of Colorado; Meet the Real Wolf; and The Wolf Returns to Yellowstone. Refreshments provided.

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8:00 pm Book sales and signing – Awakening Spirits: Wolves in the Southern Rockies by Richard P. Reading, Brian Miller, Amy L. Masching, Rob Edward and Michael K. Phillips.

Silent Auction bidding ends 9:00 pm Silent auction winners announced and end of program!