As  a keeper, there are many challenges in each day and lately the cold weather as really been tough for us. When the temps are in the teens and 20s, locks freeze, enclosure doors freeze to the ground, hoses freeze and water in water buckets freeze, not to mention, we freeze! It takes more time and lots of energy to feed the animals when it’s this cold, but we do it for the animals. Some of our animals do not tolerate really cold temps, so they come inside and enjoy some warmth. We are really looking forward to a heat wave with temps in the 30s and 40s!

Our newest additions to the CNC Red Wolf pack arrived this weekend! We received two 9 month old brothers who were born at Sandy Ridge, NC. Their father is the same father of our 2007 pups and their mothers are sisters. One has a stub tail that happened when he was less than 3 months old. They are just beginning to settle into their enclosure, learn their surroundings and our routines. We’re glad to have them here!

As fall comes into full swing, as keepers, we have to think about changes that need to be made to keep our animal ambassadors comfortable. The snakes have stopped eating and begun their winter brumation, but we are constantly monitoring the outside temps to see if we need to turn on the heat pads for them. The box turtles also have stopped eating and have begun their winter brumation. The pond sliders continue to eat through the winter, but reduce their consumption. Our woodchuck, who is the only true native hibernator, stays awake for the winter in the heated clinic with a light bulb over his enclosure that mimics the sun’s cycle. He spends time in his outside enclosure as the weather permits. We monitor the opossums as the nights get cool and bring them in when the temps get below freezing for multiple nights in a row. We create wind breaks for the birds of prey. We add hay to the Red Wolves’ den boxes for extra warmth. Many people ask me, “These animals wouldn’t have light bulbs, heat pads, hay and heated buildings in the wild so why do you do it for them?” The answer is simple. In a captive situation, we must provide  for the animal, in various ways and forms, what nature would provide if they lived in the wild. When the temps drop, the snakes find warm places in the earth, under rocks and overhangs to sleep for the winter. Box turtles and water turtles bury in the earth and mud and the woodchuck sleeps soundly all winter in his underground den. The opossums continue to hunt food, but find warm places in piles of dense leaves  or in evergreen boughs to spend the cold nights. Owls perch in evergreen trees or hide in knot holes to shield themselves from the winter wind. Since our animal ambassadors have permanent injuries that don’t allow them to return to the wild, not only do we make sure they have proper diets and vet care, but we have to make sure their homes are safe and warm – husbandry at its best!

All of us keepers are known to talk to the animal ambassadors, but Christina, our Visitor’s Center receptionist/volunteer coordinator takes it a bit farther. Christina is a professional singer and has written a darling good night song she sings to all the animals in the Hidden Creatures of the Forest exhibit each evening. While animals certainly don’t have the same mental capacity as humans, I remain convinced that they recognize us and respond to each of us, so  I feel certain that Christina’s song is well received each night.

After an owl or hawk eats his meal, it spits up a pellet. Owls do not digest the bones of their meal, so in an owl pellet, you will always find, hair and bones. Hawks digest the bones, so in a hawk pellet you only find fur. Sometimes in our rat order, we get hairless rats. After the hawks ate the hairless rats, one of the keepers noticed that there were no pellets to pick up. No hair on prey = no hawk pellet!