The Woodlands Nature Station at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area is heartbroken to announce the passing of Ember, their 8-year-old female American Red Wolf. Ember will be greatly missed by Nature Station staff and visitors, and remembered fondly for her fiery personality and bounding energy.
After noting changes to her health this winter, Nature Station staff worked with its veterinarian and consulting members of the Red Wolf SAFE team to provide treatment for a suspected autoimmune disease that affected her ability to digest food. This is an illness that Red Wolves are genetically more susceptible to.
Unfortunately, Ember continued to decline and was humanely euthanized. A necropsy is being done to help better understand the cause of her illness.
As part of the American Red Wolf SAFE program, Ember was one of around 300 Red Wolves left of her species. Because of this, her loss is especially significant. However, her genetics live on in her siblings (including our male Red Wolf Percy) and her pups (born in the LBL in 2022).
Land Between the Lakes is grateful to be part of the Red Wolf SAFE program and contribute to the conservation of this incredible species. In her lifetime, Ember played an important role in Red Wolf conservation, both through the captive breeding program and through education as she helped teach thousands of visitors about her species.