#pdza

This was early (for me) in the morning when I had training. Usually I don’t see the red wolves so well!

Red wolves are highly endangered and at one point there were only about 14 of them on earth. Thanks to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, the numbers have gone up but sadly they have give down again due to gun-happy men shooting them thinking they are taking their livestock when in reality they only eat small critters. They’re not eating your cows and sheep! They are often confused with coyotes. They are a little bigger than a coyote but smaller than a gray wolf. In the wild they have been reintroduced to an an island in North Carolina where there is less than 20. Luckily there are more in captivity but the numbers are still low at around 250-290 animals left in the world.

Red Wolves eat smaller mammals like raccoons, rabbits, and rodents, and rarely, white-tailed deer. They are NOT after your livestock.

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I know you want another picture of a Musk Ox taking a nap! This is Willow (who is a little under two years old) relaxing outside. She is roughly half her adult size though she is getting bigger. She has possibly another 200 pounds or so to go before she’s full-sized like her mom Charlotte.

Female musk ox get around 600 pounds while males can weigh up to 800 pounds. They are big but compact for the bitter cold in the Arctic where they are from in the wild. You don’t want long ears or tails or they’ll get frostbitten!

*****

Yesterday’s score at, of all places, a Ben Franklin Crafts which to my surprise sells vintage and antique postcards. This is a card showing Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, from the late 1960s to early 1970s, and since it’s a wonderful local place and contains my side-hustle I had to have this card. It’s mounted in a floating frame so the back can still be read (as you see in the second photo).