The Red Wolf
Only 75 to 100 red wolves remain in the wild, and all of them currently call northeastern North Carolina home.
Posted: Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Dear BooneDogs: I appreciate your understanding of wild canines, and I loved your recent column on coyotes (Coyote Conundrum).
I was wondering if you might have any insight into what is going on
with the red wolf population we have here in North Carolina. I have
heard that the program might be terminated and though you might know why
[. . .]
A: Since
moving to North Carolina in 1995, I have been an avid supporter of and
enthusiast for the red wolf program in Eastern North Carolina.
Red wolves, once native to North
Carolina, were declared “extinct in the wild” in 1980 after the 14
remaining individuals were removed from Louisiana and Texas to start a
captive breeding program.
The reintroduction program, officially
known as the Red Wolf Recovery Program, was started in 1987, when four
pairs of red wolves were released in the Alligator River National
Wildlife Refuge (ARNWR) in northeastern North Carolina. (Similar
reintroduction efforts in Texas, Florida and Tennessee all failed for
various reasons; for instance, of the 33 red wolf pups born in the wild
during the nine-year failed release program in Great Smoky Mountains
National Park, only four puppies survived; the other 29 pups succumbing
to parvo or other disease, or starvation.)
Today, there are only 75 to 100 total
red wolves living in the wild, all of these located in a five-county
region on and near the ARNWR. These last remaining red wolves seem to be
doing well here, have had no negative impacts on the land or human
population in the area and would probably be much more successful and
numerous by now — if it weren’t for a few misguided neighbors and the
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
On Tuesday, March 3,I attended a
public meeting at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Headquarters in
Raleigh, where the issues of continuation of the red wolf program and
the problems associated with nighttime hunting of coyotes in red wolf
territory were discussed.
In short, the N.C. Wildlife Resources
Commission has petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to
discontinue the Red Wolf Reintroduction Program and declare the species
extinct in the wild, partially in response from landowner concerns
regarding a recent ruling banning the nighttime hunting of coyotes in
the five-county area where the red wolves live.
Unfortunately, hundreds of red wolves
have been shot since their release in 1987, after having either been
specifically targeted or “misidentified” as coyotes, with this
“misidentification” most often occurring at night. Tragically, what
those demanding they be allowed to kill coyotes at any time, under any
circumstance, don’t seem to grasp is that our coyote problem exists because we have wiped out most of our natural, native predators, like the red wolf, opening up new territory and habitat to this smaller, wily, non-native predator.
During the meeting, I was very
disheartened to hear several “anti-wolf advocates” either admit to
killing wolves recently or threaten to kill them in the near future if
they are not removed. With less than 100 of these animals left in the
wild in the world, this should not only be a federal offense
but one that comes with heavy penalties for killing the last of a highly
endangered species (I use the term “endangered” here in the non-legal
sense; common sense would seem to say that these animals are positively endangered, regardless of their legal status).
I noticed at the meeting that the
“anti-wolf advocates” often base of their anti-wolf stance and demands
on fear and incorrect assumptions about why prey species are declining
in their area, on miscalculations about the wolves’ threat to humans and
domestic animals and other “facts” that just aren’t true.
Although I do believe that some of
them may have been misled from the start in regards to how the wolves
would behave after release (some of the wolves’ human neighbors were
evidently told by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel that the
wolves “would only reside on public lands”), I found it very disturbing
that some of them admit to actively working to jeopardize the success of
the release program from the very start by killing wolves, and some
admit, as well, to the continued killing of wolves today, with no
justice or repercussion whatsoever.
No wonder the viability of the program
has been questioned! These animals have been targeted from the start
and are still being blasted out of existence today, with zero
repercussions for those committing these crimes.
It has been proven via the Yellowstone
Wolf Reintroduction and other wolf release programs that when wolves
return to their native homes, these deprived ecosystems return to
health.
Other predators, like coyotes, return
to their natural roles (preying on rodents and small animals); large
prey animals, like elk, become healthier and often grow in number; other
keystone animals, like the beaver, that may have been dispersed due to
the lack of a true top predator, begin to return; fauna, like the
willow, begins to return, and things start to again balance out in a
natural, healthy way.
The red wolves in Eastern North
Carolina have begun to bring things back to the way they should be, and
at a period of time where it could not be more urgent (due to the recent
explosion of the coyote population in N.C.).
So, why in the world would anyone want
to deprive North Carolina — or the nation — of the chance to finally
remedy some of the wrongs of our past, and likewise, why would anyone
want to yank the plug on these last, remaining native predators, and on a
program that is such a source of state pride and is supported by a vast
majority of North Carolinians?
We have recently experienced record
numbers of coyotes all across North Carolina, and on top of that, these
coyotes are getting larger, more brazen, and are exhibiting changing
behaviors that threaten pets and livestock.
We know that the coyote population has
exploded, and with that, so have the problems we now face because of
their increasing numbers. For instance, coyotes are a new threat to pets
and small farm animals, and they have increased predation levels for
small mammals, like rabbits and birds, as well, including turkeys and
songbirds. They have little fear of humans, and, with time, some may
even start to see us as a food source.
Many of the “anti-wolf advocates” who
spoke at the public meeting noted the threat coyotes pose as the reason
they feel they must be able to hunt them, whenever and wherever.
Restoring natural, native predators is the only thing that will keep
coyotes from maintaining their current title as top predator in North
Carolina, a rank that is unnatural and will continue to result in an
overall unhealthy, unstable ecosystem.
Thanks to recent research, we also now
know that the more coyotes you take out of the wild, the more, and the
earlier, they reproduce. We also know that the reason for the population
explosion is the destruction of the natural top predators, including
the red wolf. So, to discuss taking the remaining red wolves out of the
wild and abandoning the reintroduction program goes against all reason,
especially if the supposed root problem and reason for doing so is based
on our coyote problem.
Red Wolf Recall? Part 2
If the N.C. Wildlife Resources
Commission gets its way, the remaining 75 to 100 red wolves will be
removed from the landscape in North Carolina, and the species will be
declared extinct in the wild.
Posted: Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Last
week, we discussed the recent request by the N.C. Wildlife Resources
Commission to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the remaining
75 to 100 red wolves from northeastern North Carolina and to declare
them extinct in the wild. Here, BooneDogs discusses the value these
native predators bring to North Carolina and why we should fight to
preserve them.
I’d like
to suggest, and this is something I wish I had mentioned at the March 3
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission public meeting, that these wolves
can and should be a boon to North Carolina’s economy and to their human neighbors if we could simply figure out a way to work together to promote the success of the program.
In my quest to study wolves, coyotes
and other wild dogs, I have participated in many national park and
non-profit wolf and wild canine programs worldwide. Many of these
programs charged a research or participant fee, which I and many others
were happy to pay in order to seek out the animals we were hoping to
study, photograph or just watch.
I participated in a fantastic winter
research project in Yellowstone National Park recently that allowed me
access to the park’s wolves and coyotes. I also participated in the Wolf
Moose Study on Isle Royal in Michigan, a fascinating program that is
also one of the longest ongoing research wildlife projects in the world.
I paid to participate in both of these programs, and I hear there is a
backlog of people wanting and waiting to participate in both.
Why are we not working to protect our
wolves while also utilizing the help of those who love them and who
would cherish the opportunity to spend time with them, or even just
spend time in their habitat, so they can assist with the research and
gather the data that will help ensure their success?
I called several months ago to find
out about participating as a volunteer in any program that assists with
recovery efforts for the wolves. I received a follow-up email from just
one of the organizations I contacted, saying that my offer of volunteer
services could only be met by applying for a semester-long internship.
While I would love to take an
entire semester to work with the red wolf project, unfortunately, I
cannot because of my family, home and career commitments. But I do
believe that if the program were open to volunteers, and if people who
love the wolves were only asked for help in ensuring their success as a
wild species, the program would be swamped with replies from people
ready and willing to help.
And think of all the graduate students
throughout North Carolina’s colleges and universities who would want to
participate! And, as we all know, success begets success. This
community outreach and inclusion attempt alone could create much
positive PR for the program and also for the organizations and
government groups that would be working to promote and sustain the
program.
Three years ago, when my husband and I
discussed moving from our farm in Virginia, we had several great
options that included moving out west or moving back to North Carolina.
Because we love wildlife and wild places, we seriously considered moving
out West, specifically to states and regions with the densest wildlife
populations, like Montana and Colorado. One of the things that brought
us back to North Carolina was the red wolf program.
As previous, proud North Carolinians,
it has always troubled us that North Carolina had long ago eradicated
almost all of its native predators (with the exception of the black
bear), so the fact that the state and federal governments were working
together to restore the red wolf population here was very exciting to
us.
We wanted to be involved in the
success of this program in whatever ways possible (we have actually
spent much of our time and tourist dollars traveling to and through the
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in search of wolves and signs
of wolves). We know there are many others out there like us, and if the
popularity of Yellowstone National Park’s (and their non-profit
affiliates’) wolf-related tourist and research programs are any
indication, I believe that any well-marketed volunteer program created
or expanded to take advantage of the public’s interest and desire to
donate to the red wolves’ success would be wildly successful.
I think one thing we, as North Carolinians, should all be concerned about is what will happen to the wild red wolves if the program is discontinued?
Wild canines pulled from the wild
never do well if relocated or placed in captivity. They engage in
dangerous and self-destructive behaviors and suffer from behavioral and
nutritional issues caused by stress, anxiety and cage depression.
We absolutely cannot do that to these
wolves, or to those who love and appreciate this valuable keystone
species for what it is, or to those who have worked so hard to restore
it. Those who don’t value them and say they don’t care what happens to
them, or worse, those who want to do them harm, seem to be comprised of a
small group of resentful, angry landowners who are bitter over being
misled (or lied to, depending on who you talk to), and who are
legitimately upset over a reduction in the number of game animals they
had hoped to hunt — numbers that are seemingly heavily impacted by the
influx of coyotes into the region.
So, what should we do? What can
we do? Well, for one, why are we not sitting down to really listen to
what all parties involved have to say, and then working to address the
legitimate concerns of all who have a stake in this issue? At the very
least, this would dispel rumors, myths and false information and at
best, help us figure out what can be done to protect the wolves, while
at the same time protecting the wishes of the citizens of North Carolina
and the rights of the landowners impacted by the release program.
Perhaps if they were to benefit in
some way, shape or form from the wolves’ presence, they could eventually
end up being the wolves’ greatest ally, instead of their biggest threat
(which is the goal of ecotourism).
As someone who values the wolves and
who would like to see all stakeholders play a part in their future
success, I truly hope that these public meetings will be continued, as
painful and volatile as they have been, and be continued in a way that
will allow dialogue between the people attending, the biologists who
have been working on this program, the N.C. Wildlife Resources
Commission, the Red Wolf Coalition, wolf experts and, perhaps, even the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to figure out what the issues really are
and begin addressing them in a way that places the wolves’ well-being
as the top priority.
If we are willing to work together to
address the issues on both sides, investigate the validity of all
concerns and claims and, most of all, figure out what is best for the wolves,
perhaps we can provide them with a future and a permanent place to call
home. In the meantime, I also hope that something be done to protect
this highly threatened species from present and future poaching and to
bring those who admit to killing wolves in the past to justice.
Toward the end of the public meeting
in Raleigh, a lady got up to speak. She made a few comments to let
everyone know she was anti-wolf and then said, and I’ll paraphrase here,
“Unlike some of you, I had the privilege of being read to when I was a
little girl. My mother read to me from the Bible, and she also read me
‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and ‘The Three Little Pigs.’ I learned very
early on that the wolf is not a friend to man.”
Wow. Where do you even begin
to explain the value these animals have to someone who seriously
embraces that philosophy? Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin,
but this does disclose a disturbing trend in thought that persists, to
some extent, throughout the world.
Right now, in British Columbia, wolves
are being “culled” because the native caribou herds are dwindling.
Researchers over the past few years have shown that the caribou are
suffering the effects of global warming, including a changing food
supply, increase in disease and parasites, and starvation due to changes
in weather patterns.
Birth rates are down, and mortality
rates are up. However, despite this knowledge and understanding, more
than 1000 wolves have been shot, and this totally unnecessary massacre
continues today.
Why is it that we hate and fear
wolves? Why is it that we cannot learn to live in harmony with them?
Have we brought them back from the brink of extinction only to massacre
and decimate them once again? How seemingly cruel and unusual.
I trust — and hope — that the good
people of North Carolina will realize what a treasure we have in this
last remaining population of red wolves that calls our home theirs, as
well. And I hope it happens soon, before it’s too late.
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