Contact NC Wildlife Resources Commission and tell
them to ban hunting for coyotes in Red Wolf Territory, especially at
night-time when they cannot be distinguished from endangered red wolves!
Block e-mail: gordon.myers@ncwildlife.org, mallory.martin@ncwildlife.org, chris.dillon@ncwildlife.org, erica.garner@ncwildlife.org, wrccomments@ncwildlife.org
Director’s phone: 919-707-0151, Gordon Myers
Fewer than 100 red wolves remain in the wild. And if we don’t act soon they will continue to be shot and killed.
In the past year alone, 14 red wolves have met untimely
deaths in the North Carolina woodlands where they are making their last
stand. The most recent victim – a radio-collared wolf found shot to
death only last month – is the seventh to die from bullet wounds.
And the bloodshed could escalate dramatically if North
Carolina state officials continue to permit hunting for coyotes in red
wolves’ tiny habitat – including hunting with spotlights at night.
Smaller than gray wolves, these wolves are barely larger than coyotes,
and share coyotes’ coloring.
It’s hard to distinguish between a coyote and a red wolf under ideal conditions. At night, it’s all but impossible.
Defenders’ legal team is fighting to stop coyote hunting
in red wolf territory. A legal ruling is expected in the coming
months. Read the North Carolina lawsuit here.
(10/27/1999) – Defenders of Wildlife today announced
that it will fight the latest legal maneuvering attempting to lessen
protection for endangered red wolves in North Carolina. Just one week
after North Carolinians showed overwhelming support for red wolves by
celebrating Wolf Awareness Week, two landowners and two North Carolina
counties will file an appeal Thursday in Richmond seeking to overturn a
December 1998 federal court ruling that ensured protections for red
wolves on private property. Defenders will contest this new appeal, set
to be heard in the 4th District Court in Virginia.
The red wolf, a smaller and more slender cousin of the timber wolf, originally roamed throughout the eastern United States as far north as Pennsylvania and as far west as central Texas. The red wolf was shot, trapped, poisoned, and clubbed to death until 1967 when the federal government declared it an endangered species. In 1975, in an effort to prevent the red wolf’s demise, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service captured all remaining wild red wolves, which numbered fewer than 20, and began to breed them successfully in captivity.
Reintroduction of the species began in 1987, when captive animals were released into Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in northeast North Carolina, with later releases into nearby Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. More than 100 red wolves have since been born in the wild, and a stable population of about 60 adults has been established in eastern North Carolina.
“Most of the people who live in North Carolina are as pleased as I am in knowing that these wolves are back where they belong and that they will continue to add diversity to the ecosystem,” said Schlickeisen. Studies demonstrate the majority of North Carolina residents support red wolf recovery.
“The plaintiff’s lawsuit is a threat not just to red wolves, but also to the entire Endangered Species Act program”, said Michael Senatore, wildlife counsel for Defenders of Wildlife. “The 1998 ruling clearly reaffirmed the authority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conserve our nation’s endangered species and it bolstered ongoing efforts to restore wolves in other parts of the country. This latest appeal is something we anticipated, and it’s something we are prepared to fight.”
NC Wildlife Resource Commission Director’s Office:
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Gordon S. Myers | Executive Director | gordon.myers@ncwildlife.org 919-707-0151 |
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Mallory G. Martin | Chief Deputy Director | mallory.martin@ncwildlife.org 919-707-0016 |
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Christopher Dillon | Legislative Affairs | chris.dillon@ncwildlife.org 919-707-0011 |
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Erica Garner | General Counsel | erica.garner@ncwildlife.org 919-707-0014 |
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