Support Wild Maned Wolf Conservation!

Support Wild Maned
Wolf Conservation!

Welcome!

The Natural Science Center & Animal Discovery of Greensboro is home to two adult maned wolves, Lana and Nazca. Maned wolves are an endangered member of the canine family and are from South America. They resemble large foxes and are very beautiful animals. In 2008, the Natural Science Center, with support from the Brooks Family and Duke Energy, built a state-of-the-art exhibit and holding area in the hopes that we would be approved to receive a breeding pair of maned wolves in the future.

The AZA Maned Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP®) was impressed with our exhibit and decided to send us two sister wolves to start so that the staff could gain experience with the species before participating in the breeding program. Luna and Nena arrived from Little Rock, AR and the Jean and Taylor Brooks Family Maned Wolf Conservation Center and Duke Energy Solar Solutions Center opened in April 11th, 2008. The sisters' genes are currently more represented in the captive population than other maned wolves' so the SSP® then decided to swap them with a young breeding pair. In fall 2009, Lana arrived from White Oak Conservation Center in Yulee, FL. and Nazca arrived from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute at Front Royal, VA.

This blog will follow the story of the 2010/2011 Reproductive Season for Lana & Nazca. It will also provide information on the conservation program and about maned wolves as a species. Use the Archive at the right of this page to see each post. We hope you enjoy as we share this wonderful story!


We want to thank the Maned Wolf SSP® Species Coordinator, Melissa Rodden, at SCBI and all the MWSSP® advisers for providing us with most of the maned wolf information found in this blog.

The Jean and Taylor Brooks Family Maned Wolf Conservation Center "was given in loving memory of Drs. Jean and Taylor Brooks, by Jim Brooks, to honor their lives and lifelong appreciation for and commitment to the natural world; and also in memory of his godmother Katherine Pierce, co-founder of the Natural Science Center, 1957. This habitat was created with the hope that it will serve to inspire and motivate each of us to be conscious stewards of our planet, its resources and all its creatures."

About the author: Kim Clark has been an animal keeper and educator at the Natural Science Center of Greensboro since the opening of Animal Discovery in 2007. She hopes that the Natural Science Center's maned wolf breeding program, as well as this blog, will make a significant difference in maned wolf conservation efforts worldwide. Most of the photos in this blog were taken by zookeepers Kim Clark and Amber Walker.

May 25th, 2011

The pups had a visit from the veterinarian today for vaccinations, blood-work, and a general health check-up. They were boostered for distemper and parvo viruses and received their first rabies vaccination. Blood was drawn to check general health and also to check titer levels on the results of the vaccinations they've been given. An antibody titer test measures the amount of antibodies present in the bloodstream. Antibodies form in response to vaccinations and/or from exposure to the antigens representing an actual infection with a virus. The pups can also begin storing up antibodies from their mother. The more antibodies present against a particular antigen, the more protection the pups should have against becoming infected and sick from those antigens in the future. Titer levels change over time and can help us to decide how often the pups will need booster vaccinations. The vaccinations that we use on the maned wolves, as with any non-domestic animals, were only developed for/are only FDA approved for particular domestic animals. This is because it takes time and money to go through the FDA testing/approval process and there aren't enough non-domestic animals kept in captivity to warrant the resources. However, by checking titer levels, we can check to make sure that the vaccinations are effective in our animals. We will evaluate the antibody titer test results when they are completed in a couple of weeks.
The pups are in good health and were started on monthly flea/worm/heartworm protection. The pups weighed between 16 and 18 pounds. Like the adults, they weigh much less than you would think for their size. Their long legs and slender build are very different from that of a german shepherd or a grey wolf.