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We are a group of North Carolina State University students in the class FW 333: Conservation Biology in Practice! We have made this website in the hopes of educating you in great detail on the red wolf, its conservation, the struggles faced, and possible solutions. We also presented our research on red wolf conservation to our class with a PowerPoint, and here is a picture of us with a taxidermized red wolf. We hope you enjoy our website and learn a thing or two!
Left to right: Caroline Cunningham, Cameron Schneider, Tyler Shroyer, Iris Horton, Bree Walker
the struggle of being a predator
the struggle of being a predator
Humans have historically had negative relationships with and perceptions of predators, not just in the U.S., but globally. In the 19th and 20th centuries, humans extirpated wolves and other predators from the landscape due to the anti-predator movement, including unregulated harvest and poisoning. One of the main reasons for this was to prevent livestock predation, which is a common theme when it comes to the public view of wolves as a whole.
grey Wolves in Europe
grey Wolves in Europe
The grey wolf restoration is one of the greatest comeback stories in Europe. This wolf was killed almost to extinction, but in the latter half of the 20th century, the public's view on wolves began to shift and wolf protection ramped up. Since wolves are an apex predator and keystone species, their reintroduction and population increase helps keep the habitat healthy and in check.
Yellowstone gray wolf
Yellowstone gray wolf
The story of the gray wolf in Yellowstone National Park is one of the greatest comebacks in the U.S.. Before they were reintroduced, the elk and deer populations were so high that they had decimated the vegetation of the park, subsequently increasing erosion, river sedimentation, and driving many other smaller species out. Gray wolves drove down the elk and deer populations, and so the ecosystem was able to recover and become healthy again.
the red wolf in the u.s.
the red wolf in the u.s.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the red wolf (Canis rufus) endangered in 1967, and it was one of the first species protected under the Endangered Species List. The USFWS trapped the remaining 400 wild canids from Louisiana and Texas from 1973-1980, of which only 14 were chosen for the captive breeding program. Four pairs were released into the Red Wolf Recovery Area in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge on the Albemarle Peninsula in North Carolina in 1987. The population that resides there is known as a non-essential experimental population, or NCNEP.
The red wolf was declared extinct in the wild in 1980, primarily due to human conflict and coyote (Canis latrans) hybridization, which are still the main threats to red wolf survivability today. As of July 2022, there are 243 red wolves in captivity at 49 Red Wolf Species Survival Plan facilities through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. There are only 10 known orange radio collared individuals in the wild, with a population estimate of 19-21 individuals.
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