Patriot the Red Wolf
It is with great sadness that we announce Patriot, Canis rufus, passed away at Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center on March 1, 2022, at the age of 13 years, 10 months, after a brief challenge with cancer.
Sandhill Cranes
Aldo Leopold, the father of modern day wildlife management, wrote about the Sandhill Cranes, saying “When we hear his call, we hear no mere bird. We hear the trumpet in the orchestra of evolution.” The fossils of a bird with identical structure to the Sandhill Crane has been carbon dated to have lived 10 million years ago, making the Sandhill Crane the longest surviving bird on the planet.
Our Red Wolves Get a Winter Checkup
Every winter, we catch all our Red Wolves, vaccinate them, thoroughly check them over, and draw blood. Sounds simple, but this rodeo takes careful coordination and an experienced team.
The Animals of Halloween
Like many holidays, Halloween is associated with many superstitions, invoking fear and mystery. Several animals, like bats, owls, and crows, feature in eerie Halloween folklore. But are those animals truly spooky? Learn more about them to find out!
Behold, the Armadillo!
Surprising to some, many of us have seen armadillos in our immediate area. These unusual looking animals have only reached Tennessee in the last thirty years or so, but their potential range continues to expand because of their rapid breeding cycle, adaptability, reduction of predators, and climate warming caused by increasing carbon in the atmosphere.