We’re Blowing These Wolves’ Houses Down

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has asked the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to terminate their Red Wolf Recovery Program. The Wildlife Commission believes that the project is not meeting its goals as many red wolves are encroaching onto private land and mating with coyotes, threatening the restoration of the species. The wolf population was initially devastated by a loss of natural habitat and a strong livestock protection effort. These factors left the population reduced to a mere 17 wolves. In 1973, the Endangered Species Act became federal law and red wolf recovery plans were put into action. The remaining wolves living in the wild were captured for breeding purposes, and by 1987 their descendants were beginning to be released in North Carolina. We now have around 100 wolves living in the wild today, and around 200 remain in captivity.Red wolves are essential to their North Carolina habitat, as they are a predator that helps to keep Red wolves are essential to their North Carolina habitat, as they are a predator that helps to keep rabbit, raccoon, and other rodent populations in control. Without the help of humans, the red wolf population will continue to fade away, leaving their ecosystem very unbalanced. We were the cause of the species rapid decline and it is now our job help the red wolf population heal from the detrimental loss inflicted upon them. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service is considering the request of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to halt their recovery program. Speak up for the red wolf population and tell Dan Ashe, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Services’ director, that you value the species and would like to see them thrive in their natural habitat.   Oonagh Cavanagh, Intern