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Contact: Laura Cassels

Pr/Marketing Manager

(850) 575-8684, ext. 144

lcassels@tallahasseemuseum.org

Jennifer Golden

Director of Education

(850) 757-8684, ext. 115

jgolden@tallahasseemuseum.org

For release April 21, 2008

"Peter" Meets The REAL Wolves

A wolf is the villain in composer Sergei Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" but brave lads nowadays are more likely to admire wolves than to fear them. Indeed, hundreds of boys and girls will be sorting fact from fiction Saturday when the Tallahassee Museum hosts "Red Wolf Day" in conjunction with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra's performance the day before of "Peter and the Wolf."

The Symphony’s performance for its spring Young People’s Concert on Friday is scheduled to introduce more than 1,500 school children to classical music. 

The Tallahassee Museum is a partner in the Species Survival Plan for red wolves, a public-private collaboration to save endangered red wolves. Since 1988, the Museum has provided natural habitat for red wolves, supported new generations through captive breeding and distribution of pups, and educated adults and children about this endangered species.

Unlike the bad wolf of legend, healthy red wolves in the wild avoid humans and human activities. In fact, wolves have more to fear from humans than the other way around, as evidenced by their being hunted nearly to extinction.

After the fun of getting scared by a wolf in "Peter and the Wolf," visitors will see on "Red Wolf Day" at the Tallahassee Museum that these animals deserve our respect and even have some very lovable features, including group singing and excellent parenting.

"We have three red wolves living here: two females that were born here, and a male," said Museum Animal Curator Mike Jones. "We’ve had three litters born here. They’re very, very family-oriented, as all canines are." Most pups born at the Museum are relocated to other red-wolf sites in hopes of pairing with unrelated wolves. The species’ gene pool is very limited, since the recovery program began with only 14 healthy red wolves. Through its captive breeding program, biologists hope to minimize genetic anomalies that can weaken a species of few numbers. The ultimate goal is to release the wolves to the wild.

The good news is that, thanks to recovery efforts, several dozen red wolves have been released and are living well in the wild after having been declared officially "extinct in the wild" three decades ago.

At the Tallahassee Museum, Jones hopes that children and adults will take part in Red Wolf Day to see and hear for themselves some of the things he knows and admires about red wolves.

Museum Education Director Jennifer Golden said the day’s activities will teach visitors about wolf behavior and will help distinguish facts from fairy tales.

"Stories and legends have their place, but we know that unfounded fears of animals can lead humans to destroy them," Golden said. "We have seen so many species of animals and plants become extinct because of ignorance and fear. With knowledge and care, we can save the ones we still have among us."

Activities on Red Wolf Day will include: making plaster castings of pawprints left by red wolves living at the Museum; learning to decipher wolf communications such as body language and howling; and detection and use of scenting as red wolves would do.

The Tallahassee Museum recently was honored by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for its long-time participation in the Species Survival Plan for red wolves, a collaboration launched by the AZA with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other individuals and organizations. The AZA presented the Museum with a "North American Conservation Award" citing "top honors" for its role in the recovery of red wolves.

The Museum is proud to be associated with the Red Wolf Recovery Program and with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra.

For more information about Red Wolf Day and other activities at the Tallahassee Museum, call (850) 575-8684, or visit www.tallahasseemuseum.org

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The Tallahassee Museum, celebrating 50 years
of creating memories and enriching lives.

The Tallahassee Museum is a 52-acre Museum located in SW Tallahassee on beautiful Lake Bradford (3945 Museum Drive) where history, nature, and wildlife are intertwined to tell an intriguing story about Florida’s natural and cultural history. This unique Museum, 1880s farmstead, historical buildings, natural habitat zoo and scenic grounds provides hands-on learning and entertainment for all ages. The Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM and Sundays from 12:30 PM until 5:00 PM. Admission Fees: $9/Adults, $8.50/Seniors (65+) & College Students (with valid ID); $6.00/Children (4-15); and free for children 3 and under. ADMISSION IS FREE FOR MEMBERS. For more information: (850) 575-8684 or www.tallahasseemuseum.org