Red Wolf
Scientific name Canis Rufus
Why are Red Wolve in Danger of Becoming Extinct?
A red wolf is a type of canid that lives in southeastern North Carolina in the coastal plain. Red wolves are endangered because in the 1960s intensive predator control programs and loss of habitat decimated their population. In 1980 the United Sates Fish and Wildlife Service declared the red wolves to be extinct in the wild.
What is Being Done to Protect Red Wolves?
After Red Wolves were declared an endangered species in 1973 efforts were started to locate and capture as many red wolves as possible only, they only captured 17. Of the 17 remaining wolves captured by biologists 14 of them became the founders of a captive breeding program. By 1987 enough red wolves were bred in captivity to begin a restoration program on Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern North Carolina, since then the experimental population area has been expanded to include three national wildlife refuges a Department of Defense bombing range, state-owned lands, and private property.