red wolf restoration: a 20-year journey

2 Letter from the Executive Directorof the Red Wolf CoalitionK i m W h e e l e r

20 Hunter Education and Red Wolf RestorationD a v i d D e n t o n

25 Back from the Brink of Extinction: The Red Wolf Species Survival ProgramW i l l W a d d e l l

26 Red Wolf Learning Resources: A Sampling for Teachers, Non-formal Educators, Parents and StudentsM a r k M a c A l l i s t e r

Departments 3 From the

Executive Director

19 Tracking the Pack

21 Personal Encounters

28 A Look Beyond

Features

THE QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER VOLUME 17, NO. 4 WINTER 2007

On The CoverWolf images, left to right: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Evelyn L. Mercer,Greg Koch Photography (www.gkphotography.net)

Sundial image: Getty Images

Special Issue

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Red Wolf Restoration: A 20-Year Journey

Fall 2007 marks the 20th anniversary of the first release of red wolves back into the wild in northeastern NorthCarolina. A look at the “early days” of the red wolf’s journeyprovides perspective on the triumphant story of Canis rufus.D i a n e H e n d r y

Red Wolf FAQWhat is a red wolf? Where did red wolvesoriginally live? What does a red wolf look

like? Learn the answers to these questions and moreimportant facts about these beautiful creatures.S t e v e G r o o m s

Return to the Wild: The Cliff-hangerStory of Red Wolf Recovery

The red wolf program has been a lot like an Indiana Jones cliff-hanger film, full of narrow escapes. Today, in spite of all the close brushes with extinction, the red wolf is still with us.S t e v e G r o o m s

Free to WanderTwenty years ago eight red wolves were released into the wilds of northeastern North Carolina. Their release,

the first reintroduction of a carnivore that had been declared extinctin the wild, solidified the red wolf’s place in the history books. D a v i d R . R a b o n J r .

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Publications DirectorMary Ortiz

Graphics CoordinatorCarissa L.W. Knaack

Consulting EditorMary Keirstead

Technical Editor L. David Mech

Graphic DesignerTricia Austin

Special Publication Editor and CoordinatorCornelia Hutt

International Wolf (1089-683X) is publishedquarterly and copyrighted, 2007, by theInternational Wolf Center, 12615 Co.Road 9,Minneapolis, MN 55441, USA. e-mail: [email protected]. All rightsreserved.

Publications agreement no. 1536338

Membership in the International WolfCenter includes a subscription toInternational Wolf magazine, free admissionto the Center, and discounts on programsand merchandise. • Lone Wolf membershipsare U.S. $35 • Wolf Pack $60 • WolfAssociate $125 • Wolf Sponsor $500 • Alpha Wolf $1000. Canada and othercountries, add U.S. $15 per year for airmailpostage, $7 for surface postage. Contact theInternational Wolf Center, 1396 Highway169, Ely, MN 55731-8129, USA; e-mail:[email protected]; phone: 1-800-ELY-WOLF

International Wolf is a forum for airingfacts, ideas and attitudes about wolf-relatedissues. Articles and materials printed inInternational Wolf do not necessarily reflectthe viewpoint of the International WolfCenter or its board of directors.

International Wolf welcomes submissions ofpersonal adventures with wolves and wolfphotographs. Prior to submission of othertypes of manuscripts, address queries toMary Ortiz, publications director.

International Wolf is printed entirely withsoy ink on recycled and recyclable paper (text pages contain 20% post-consumerwaste, cover paper contains 10% post-consumer waste). We encourage you to recycle this magazine.

PHOTOS: Unless otherwise noted, or obvious from the caption or article text,photos are of captive wolves.

2 W i n t e r 2 0 0 7 w w w . w o l f . o r g

What does the Red Wolf Coalition do?” I am frequently asked thatquestion, and there’s no better way to begin an answer than withthe organization’s mission statement: The Red Wolf Coalition

advocates for the long-term survival of red wolf populations by teaching aboutthe red wolf and by fostering public involvement in red wolf conservation. Seemsclear to me, but what exactly is an advocate? What does an advocate do?

The dictionary says an advocate is one who speaks or writes in support ordefense of a person or a cause. The Coalition advocates through education—teaching people about red wolves and engaging them in the work of con-serving wildlife and habitat. Our programs, informational materials andcurricula are science-based, and our advocacy is grounded in truth and fact.We rely on our partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

Red Wolf Recovery staff to offer up-to-date and accurateinformation about the recovery program and to give afirsthand account of the work being done in the field.The result is an increasing number of requests for redwolf programs from private citizens, schools, communitygroups and private organizations. It’s good to be popular!

In celebration of our 10th anniversary, the Coalitionhas brought the International Wolf Center’s new world-class exhibit “Wolves and Wildlands in the 21st Century”from its home in Minnesota to red wolf country inColumbia, North Carolina. This exhibit has enabled us toteach visitors and local residents alike about the wolves of North America and about the challenges of coexisting

with these fascinating and complex predators. As the 21st century evolves,more land will be developed and the human population will increase. Can weleave room on the landscape for wolves and other large carnivores? Will we?

The Red Wolf Coalition renews its commitment to advocate for the long-term survival of red wolf populations in this, our 10th anniversary year and in the 20th anniversary year of the red wolf’s return to its wild home in NorthCarolina. We will broaden our audiences, expand our programs and Web site,cultivate new partners including state and federal agencies and governmententities, encourage new members to supportour work, bring people to red wolf country—and swat mosquitoes at our popular howlingsafaris. And one day, our vision of a Red WolfCenter will become a reality!

We are proud of what we do, and we aregrateful for the partnerships that have madeus a stronger, more focused organization.Those include our partnership with theInternational Wolf Center. We hope that thisissue of International Wolf will encourageothers throughout the nation and the world tojoin us in our efforts to keep the red wolf for-ever wild in the southeastern United States. �

Kim Wheeler

Letter from the Executive Directorof the Red Wolf Coalitionb y K i m W h e e l e r

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Milestones Matter

Milestones matter. Without them we lose perspective and the relevance of the mile-stone to our day-to-day work. Marking 20 years of red wolf recovery in the wildsof North Carolina is surely a conservation milestone that deserves reflection.

Perhaps foremost we should take the moment to celebrate the decision to save a species fromextinction. Can there be any higher calling than saving from oblivion a fellow passenger onspaceship earth? The Red Wolf Recovery Program also paved the way through its practicesand personnel to further wolf recovery in other parts of the country, nowhere more so thanin Yellowstone National Park. These successes, in turn, have given other species recoveryprograms around the globe reason to be optimistic that their work can be accomplished too.

A hearty howl of congratulations to all the people behind the program and especiallyto the Red Wolf Coalition, which marks its own milestone of 10 years of advocacy andeducational work.

On a personal level I recently crossed a milestone of my own. InSeptember, I marked 14 years of service as executive director of theInternational Wolf Center. It has been a great ride, full of wonderful wolfexperiences. None was better than standing on the tarmac in 1995,watching a small plane with its cargo of wolves bank against the backdropof the snow-capped Canadian Rockies, heading south for Idaho andYellowstone, where a great experiment would return wolves to America’sNorthern Rockies. Equally satisfying has been the opportunity to meetdedicated people from all over the globe who play a part in the complexworld of wolves—whether Dr. Djuro Huber from Croatia, who had to dealwith unexploded mines while conducting his research, or TungalagtuyaKhuukhendu of Mongolia, whose magnificent native dress brightened themeeting rooms at one of our international wolf conferences.

I start a new adventure this fall as I leave the International Wolf Center and head toVermont to assume the position of executive director of Northwoods Stewardship Center,an organization focused on land stewardship, environmental education, conservationscience and outdoor recreation. The mountains, farms, fields and forests of the region and the challenges of a new job beckon me east. Leaving the Center is no small decision. Never have I worked for an organization with so many dedicated, hard-working staff and volunteers. Together we have created a powerful synergy, bringing intention, creativityand success to efforts on behalf of wolf survival.

Wolves matter too. They represent so perfectly the elegant mechanisms that evolvewithin natural systems. Prey populations are healthy because of predator pressure.Healthy prey populations keep predators keen.

Because humans play such a dominant role in the world today, it’s easy to dismiss theremarkable complexities of natural systems and the vast time frames in which those systemsdeveloped. Wolves matter in and of themselves, but because they and other predators playsuch a pivotal role within natural systems, they matter even more.

They say that anyone who plants a tree is an optimist. The same holds true for thosewho work to keep wolves on the landscape.

Thanks for your optimism and for your support of the International Wolf Center. Happy howling to you all! �

From the Executive DirectorINTERNATIONAL

WOLF CENTER

BOARD OF DIRECTORSNancy jo Tubbs

Chair

Dr. L. David MechVice Chair

Dr. Rolf O. PetersonSecretary

Paul B. AndersonTreasurer

Dr. Larry AndersonCree BradleyTom Dwight

Amy Bromberg FunkNancy Gibson

Hélène GrimaudJim Hammill

Cornelia “Neil” HuttDean JohnsonLinda LemkeDania Miwa

Mike PhillipsDebbie Reynolds

Jerry SandersKaren Saul

Paul SchurkePaul Sletten

Ted SpauldingTeri Williams

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Walter M. Medwid

MISSION

The International WolfCenter advances the survival

of wolf populations byteaching about wolves, their

relationship to wildlands and thehuman role in their future.

Educational services and informational resources

are available at:

1396 Highway 169Ely, MN 55731-8129, USA

1-800-ELY-WOLF1-218-365-4695

e-mail address:[email protected]

Web site: http://www.wolf.org

I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o l f W i n t e r 2 0 0 7 3

Walter Medwid


FALL 2007 MARKS THE 20THANNIVERSARY of the firstrelease of red wolves back into

the wild in northeastern NorthCarolina. The red wolf roamed a largeportion of the southeastern UnitedStates as a top predator for centuriesuntil aggressive control programs,habitat loss and interbreeding withcoyotes eliminated the animal fromnearly all of its former range.Restoring the species was not easy.Officially designated as extinct in thewild in 1980, the red wolf’s path torecovery has been long and hasrequired multifaceted coordinationamong scientists, government agen-

cies, private landowners and communities. A look atthe “early days” of the red wolf’s journey providesperspective on the triumphant story of Canis rufus.

HistoryThe red wolf was first described in 1791 by scientist

William Bartram and lived principally in the south-eastern United States. By 1962, however, sightings of red wolves were nearly nonexistent. Human howlswere not getting a response. Scat evidence was nil. Andwhere were the tracks? The elusive and wary red wolfno longer roamed its familiar territory. How couldthis have happened? How could a top predator havereached the brink of extinction without anyone’snoticing? The reasons are many, but the important fact is that during the 1960s, the scientific communitydid notice—but not until it was almost too late.

The red wolfroamed a large

portion of thesoutheastern

United States as a top predator

for centuries untilaggressive controlprograms, habitat

loss and inter-breeding with

coyotes eliminatedthem from

nearly all of their former range.

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A 20-Year Journey

Red WolfRestoration


Action was needed. Two impor-tant developments made the raceagainst extinction possible:� The red wolf was listed as an

endangered species under provi-sions of the Endangered SpeciesPreservation Act (1967).

� The Endangered Species Act becamefederal law (1973), with variousmeasures built in that recognizedlandowners’ needs while protectingred wolves and mandating activerecovery programs.These legislative actions provided

a framework for the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service (USFWS) to developa plan to save the species. But first the agency had to answer these ques-tions: Were any red wolves left, and if so, where had they gone? In the late1960s, biologists traced the last redwolves to the Gulf Coast of westernLouisiana and eastern Texas. Theregion provided only marginalhabitat with minimal prey, but itafforded the red wolf haven fromsystematic persecution.

As the plan progressed, USFWSwildlife biologists established criteriato distinguish the red wolf speciesfrom other wild canids. From 1974 to 1980, over 400 animals weretrapped from the remnant populationand evaluated for red wolf morpho-logical characteristics. The resultswere astonishing: only 17 pure redwolves were among the 400. Ofthese, 14 were selected as foundersfor the captive breeding population.Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium(PDZA) in Tacoma, Washington, wasselected as the site for captivemanagement and continues coordi-nating the program for the USFWStoday, thus celebrating its 30th-yearanniversary as a red wolf partner.

Fortunately, in 1977 a litter of redwolf pups was born at PDZA, andwithin a year, scientists were ready to experiment with a release. Theyselected Bulls Island off the SouthCarolina coast for this initial trial.The Bulls Island red wolves were set free, tracked and recaptured.

Restoration techniques were provento work, at least at this site, and in1978, the experiment was declared a success. So that recovery effortscould proceed, the red wolf wasdeclared extinct in the wild in 1980.Meanwhile, during that year, geneticresearch supported the designation of Canis rufus as a distinct species.

During the next decade, red wolf restoration focused on three key efforts: getting approval for theupdated and revised Red WolfRecovery Plan, incor-porating the red wolfinto the AmericanZoological Asso-c ia t ion ’s Spec iesSurvival Plan, andsearching for a futurered wolf release site.In 1984, a generousland donation to theUSFWS by PrudentialInsurance Companybecame the AlligatorRiver National Wild-life Refuge (ARNWR)in eastern NorthCarolina. The redwolf had a new homein the wild.

ARNWR was justwhat the scientists hadin mind. Surroundedon three sides bywater, the refuge provided habitat well suited to red wolf needs. Prey was abundant, and the sparse humanpopulation surrounding the refugewas mostly rural. Nevertheless, localsupport of red wolf restoration wasnecessary. For approximately one year,the USFWS conducted public meet-ings in Dare County combined witheducation programs. This successfuloutreach effort paved the way for the first release of four pairs of captive-born red wolves in ARNWR in 1987. It is worth noting that a 1995North Carolina State University surveyshowed the majority of eastern NorthCarolina residents in support of redwolf restoration.

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2007 Restoration Area

The restoration area encompasses1.7 million acres in northeasternNorth Carolina in five counties:Dare, Tyrrell, Washington, Beaufortand Hyde.

Over 60 percent of restoration areais privately owned land.

Three national wildlife refuges arecontained within its boundaries:Alligator River, Pocosin Lakes, andMattamuskeet.

Approximately 120 wild red wolvescall the area home.

Raleigh

North Carolina

inset areashown above

Also in 1987, Bulls Island wasselected as the first island propagationsite, a project designed to offer redwolves time and freedom to acclimatein the wild prior to release on themainland. Then in 1988, the first litterof red wolf pups was born in the wildat ARNWR. In 1989 a second restora-

tion project beganwith the release ofred wolves into therugged landscape ofthe Great SmokyMountains NationalPark (GSMNP).During these years,the second genera-tion of red wolf pupswas born at ARNWR,and another “first”made quiet headlines:the birth of healthypups, conceived byartificial insemina-tion, at PDZA.

The red wolfpopulation in thewild expanded atboth the ARNWRand GSMNP sites.Then in 1992, redwolves were releasedinto the PocosinLakes National Wild-life Refuge, not farfrom Alligator River.And that year, thefirst wild red wolfpups were born inthe “Smokys.” The

captive population also increased asadditional facilities throughout thecountry were approved for participa-tion in the Red Wolf Species SurvivalProgram (SSP). Public support for the reintroduction effort grew andwas documented by a 1996 CornellUniversity economic study showingpotential tourism benefits from redwolf presence as well as public will-ingness to pay for recovery efforts farexceeding the cost of the program. AnEast Carolina University study thatsame year reported similar results.

But 1998 ushered in a period ofsetbacks. The GSMNP reintroductionproject was cancelled because of low pup survival and the inability of wolves to establish home rangeswithin the perimeter of the park.Meanwhile, the highly mobile andadaptable coyote, a non-native of the East, found its way to NorthCarolina—and to the red wolfrecovery area. In 1999, a team ofscientists and wolf experts deter-mined that hybridization with thecoyote posed the greatest threat tored wolf recovery. An adaptivemanagement plan was initiated todeal with this crisis and to find asolution to the problem.

Today, coyote–red wolf issuessuch as hybridization, home rangechallenges, prey-base competition andillegal shootings all challenge thebiologists of the Red Wolf Recoverystaff. Differentiating between coyotesand endangered red wolves can bedifficult, especially with the recent

1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982

The redwolf isrecognizedas being indanger ofextinction.

The U.S. Fish andWildlife Servicebegins study of thered wolf in south-eastern Texas andsouthwesternLouisiana.

The EndangeredSpecies Actbecomes federallaw. The first redwolf recovery plan is completed, andimplementationbegins.

Red wolves aresuccessfullyreleased onBulls Island,South Carolina.

The red wolf is listed as anendangeredspecies underthe EndangeredSpecies Preser-vation Act.

The captivebreeding center at Point DefianceZoo and Aquarium(PDZA) acquiresfirst red wolf.

The firstlitter of redwolf pups is born atPDZA.

The last redwolves areremoved fromthe wild. The redwolf is declaredofficially extinctin the wild.

Brief Historic Time Line forthe Endangered Red Wolf


Top: Jennifer Gilbreathcollects a scat sample.The samples are usedfor genetic testing andspecies identification.

Above and right: Chris Lucash inserts acaptive-born pup into

a den to be raised by the wild parents

along with their ownoffspring. “Fostering”

infuses new genes intothe wild population

and promotes thesurvival and viability

of the red wolf.

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One hundred to 130 wildred wolves roam 1.7 millionacres in northeastern NorthCarolina. Over 170 exist in captive populations.Adaptive management isworking to control thecoyote population in the recovery area.

May, and monitoring the health andexpansion of the red wolf population.

The FutureIn the future, genetics research will

become increasingly sophisticated.Monitoring the displacement ofcoyotes by red wolves in the recoveryarea will continue, and data fromspecial transmitters implanted in pups will yield valuable dispersalinformation. A possible second redwolf recovery area will be considered.The future of this species lies in thepublic’s support and commitment tothe long-term restoration of the endan-gered red wolf in the Southeast. As the Red Wolf Coalition celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2007, theeducation and outreach partnershipbetween the Coalition and the

USFWS will be vitally important. �

Diane Hendry is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service Red WolfRecovery TeamOutreach Coordinator.

trend of transporting coyotes into thestate to train dogs for fox hunting.The loss of a red wolf, particularly ahealthy breeder, provides opportu-nity for a coyote to move in, thusupsetting a pack’s social structureand possibly its genetic integrity.Therefore, coyote management in therecovery area remains a top priorityfor field biologists, who employvarious control and monitoringmethods such as radio tracking, live-trapping and sterilization. Evidencesuggests that as red wolf numbersincrease, coyote presence decreases.

Several years after the restorationprogram began, an importantachievement was documented: theentire red wolf population in north-eastern North Carolina was wild born except for two pups born at theNorth Carolina Zoo, which weresuccessfully fostered to wild adults.“Fostering” is yet another red wolfmanagement milestone. Captive-bornpups are inserted into wolf dens to beraised by the wild parents along with their own offspring. Fosteringinfuses new genes into the wild popu-lation and promotes the survival andviability of the red wolf as one of twospecies of wolves in North America.

Red wolves benefit the restorationregion in many ways. For instance, astop predators, they play a key role in ecosystem balance. Because theytend to cull weak or otherwise vulner-able deer, some landowners report“healthier and larger deer populations”since the arrival of the red wolf. The

eggs of ground-nesting birds have a better chance of survival due to thered wolf’s appetite for nest-raidingmammals. Additionally, local econo-mies are enhanced as visitors travel tored wolf country to attend summerhowling safaris, view exhibits andparticipate in education programs.

Management Red wolves are still managed at

four levels: population, gene pool,family groups and individuals. Withinthe framework of these managementobjectives, primary recovery goals are to maintain the strength of thepresent wild red wolf population andto increase the num-ber of wild wolvesto 220 and thenumber of captivewolves to 330. Thecooperative efforts of agencies, organiza-tions and individualsare necessary to ensurethe long-term survivalof the endangered red wolf.

Biologists conductfrequent field surveysthat include followingmiles of red wolf tracks,employing ground andaerial telemetry to locateradio-collared wolves,collecting scat samples forgenetic testing and speciesidentification, searching forpup litters during April and

1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

The Red Wolf RecoveryPlan is revised,updated and approved.The Alligator RiverNational WildlifeRefuge (ARNWR) isestablished.

The first wildlitter of pups isborn in theARNWR.

Second-generation pupsare born in the wild in theARNWR. The first litter ofpups via artificial insemi-nation is born at PDZA.

The GSMNPreintroduc-tion projectis canceled.

The entire NorthCarolina red wolfpopulation is wildborn except for twopups born at NorthCarolina Zoo andfostered into a wildden, where they are raised by wildwolf parents.

Four pairs of captive-bornwolves are released in theARNWR. An island propagationsite is established on BullsIsland, South Carolina, to accli-mate wolves to the wild beforemainland release.

A second restora-tion project isstarted in GreatSmoky MountainsNational Park(GSMNP).

Red wolves arereleased in PocosinLakes NationalWildlife Refuge(PLNWR). First pups are born in the GSMNP.

Scientists and experts determinehybridization with coyotes to be the greatest threat torecovery of the red wolf.An Adaptive Management Plan is developed to addressand manage hybridization.

One of the2002 fosteredwolvesfathers a litterof eight pups.

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What is a red wolf?A great many facts about red wolves are contro-

versial and mysterious, including this most basicquestion. Some scientists think the red wolf is a species of wolf that is native to the southeasternseaboard of North America, and that preceded theevolution of the gray wolf.

Aren’t there many species of wolves?No. Current thinking is that there are two, three

or four. In spite of the many names for differentkinds of wolves—buffalo wolves, McKenzie Valleywolves, timber wolves and so forth—those are allsubtypes of the gray wolf. The gray wolf is thecommon wolf of North America, Europe and Asia.The red wolf is a different species, which might be the same as the eastern Canadian wolf, anotherpossible species (see below). Some authorities believethe Ethiopian wolf is another species of wolf, althoughothers believe it’s a jackal.

Where did red wolves originally live?Red wolves once lived and hunted an area that

largely overlaps the states of the Confederacy of the1860s. That area extends from central Texas allalong the coast through Florida and as far north as southern New England, including some parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio (see map). One of themost intriguing areas to be explored is the questionof how far north red wolves lived. The wolf that

FAQRed Wolf

b y S T E V E G R O O M S

Many scientists used to believe that the red wolf was a hybrid, across between the gray wolf and the coyote. Scientific opinion is stilldivided on whether the red wolf has existed as a distinct and uniquespecies in North America for at least 150,000 years.

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currently lives in Canada’s AlgonquinPark in eastern Canada, once thoughtto be a type of gray wolf, bears a greatresemblance to the red wolf. Analysisof the DNA of that eastern Canadianwolf and the red wolf show them tobe very closely related and possiblyessentially the same species.

Are red wolves a species or hybrid?Many scientists used to believe

that the red wolf was a hybrid, not a species, being a cross between thegray wolf and the coyote. Scientificopinion is still divided on whetherthe red wolf has existed as a distinctand unique species in North Americafor at least 150,000 years.

What do red wolves look like?The red wolf is a beautiful animal.

Red wolves are mostly brown, buffand cinnamon in color. Most havesome black along the back and oftensome red on the head, ears and legs.Compared to gray wolves, red wolves are leggy and delicate. Theyhave sharper, longer muzzles andprominent, pointed ears. Their fur isnot as heavy as the pelage of graywolves, and their feet are smaller.

How big are they?The average adult male is 61

pounds, and the average female is 52pounds. Gray wolves range from 80to 120 pounds; coyotes, from 20 to 45pounds; and red wolves, from 50 to80 pounds. The red wolf stands about26 inches at the shoulder, comparableto a male German shepherd dog.

What do red wolves eat?Like any wolf, the red wolf feeds

opportunistically, taking what isavailable. Today, that includes white-tailed deer, raccoons and such smallermammals as rabbits and nutrias. A red wolf consumes about two tofive pounds of food a day and cantravel up to 20 miles a day in searchof food. They are carnivores.

Do red wolves live in packs?Red wolves live and hunt in family

groups, or “packs.” As with graywolves, this unit is the adult breeding

pair and several offspring of variousyears. Only the primary adult pairbreeds. The pack size is usually fiveto eight individuals, and this group of wolves works as a tightly knitgroup to find food, defend territoryand rear the pups.

Where are red wolves today?Most wild red wolves inhabit a

region of eastern North Carolina thatoverlaps five counties and includes 1.7million acres (see map on page 5).This area includes the Alligator RiverNational Wildlife Refuge, PocosinLakes National Wildlife Refuge and

Mattamuskeet National WildlifeRefuge. A few wild red wolves live as breeding populations on islandsthat are too small to sustain largerpopulations. Additionally, many redwolves live in zoos, often in captivebreeding programs.

How many red wolves are alive now?

The number varies as young areborn and as wolves die, but the wildred wolves in North Carolina usuallynumber about 100 to 130 individ-uals. An additional 208 wolves live inzoos or captive breeding programs.

How has the red wolf restorationprogram differed from the programfor gray wolves?

While gray wolves have livedcontinuously in at least some regionsof North America, at one time allliving red wolves were trapped andmoved to a captive breeding programin a desperate effort to save the speciesfrom extinction. The red wolf is the first predator ever restored to thewild after existing only as a captivepopulation. Moreover, the red wolf isin danger of losing its genetic identitybecause it hybridizes with coyotes,which most gray wolves do not do.

Many think thered wolf is anancient race of

wolves thatpreceded theevolution of

the gray wolf.

Approximate original range of the red wolf.

most wild red wolves live in just onearea. Above all, the biggest threat ishybridization with coyotes. Redwolves will mate with coyotes, andthe southeastern United States is now saturated with coyotes. Thatraises the constant specter of “geneticswamping,” the loss of distinctive,pure red wolf genes by mixing themwith coyote genes. This problem iscurrently being addressed by aggres-sive coyote control operations alongthe interface between coyotes andwild red wolves in North Carolina.

Is the red wolf now safe?The red wolf once was extremely

endangered but has been broughtback to a status that seems more orless secure. Because red wolves arelimited in number and only live freelyin one area, managers will need toexercise great care to preserve thisunique and fascinating species. Thefuture of the red wolf would be muchmore secure if other areas could be-come home to more wild red wolves.If genetic studies prove the wolf ofeastern Canada is actually the sameas the red wolf, the genetic future

of the species will be greatlyenhanced.

What are the most importantnext steps to secure the futureof red wolves?

First, managers must maintainthe integrity of red wolf bloodlinesby suppressing coyotes in theregion where wild red wolves andcoyotes encounter each other.Second, it is important to establisha Red Wolf Center facility tospread information and promotetolerance of red wolves. Third, we need to find other areas wherered wolves can live in the wild. �

Steve Grooms has been writing aboutwolves and wolf management since1976. He is the author of the bookReturn of the Wolf, and he serves on International Wolf ’s advisorycommittee.


Are red wolves a threat to humans?There is no record of a red wolf ever

harming a human. The red wolf is alarge predator and should be given therespect with which we regard any wild predator, but red wolves are nothreat to humans. Since restoration tothe wild, red wolves have lived withremarkably little conflict with humans.

Why should these wolves berestored and protected?

The Endangered Species Act of1973 calls for unique species to beprotected and restored in the wild,insofar as possible. The red wolf is aunique type of wolf that may havelived in North America for at least150,000 years. Its genetic identity needs

to be preserved, but beyond that theact dictates that such importantspecies be sustained in the wild, notjust in zoos. Moreover, it is desirableto have ecological communities thatare as complete as possible. The redwolf was once an important memberof the ecological community of theU.S. Southeast. It continues to playthat role, albeit in a small area now.

What are the primary threats to red wolves now?

Each year, intentionally or unin-tentionally, some red wolves are killedby humans. But the number is not a major threat to the long-termprospects for red wolves. Potentially,diseases such as mange, hookworm

and hea r t -worm are athreat since

Compared to gray wolves (on right), red wolves are leggy and delicate. They have sharper,longer muzzles and prominent, pointed ears. Their fur is not as heavy as the pelage of graywolves, and their feet are smaller.

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Return to the

b y S T E V E G R O O M S

The Cliff-hangerStory of Red Wolf

Recovery

In one sense, it was sheer luckthat saved the red wolf from extinc-tion in the 1960s. For decades,federal policy had been to extirpatewolves. That process had eradicatedred wolves from all but a sliver of vile habitat along the Texas andLouisiana Gulf Coast.

Then, just before the red wolf waswiped out forever, more sophisticatedthinking about predators led to astunning reversal. The animal thathad been considered a menace to beeradicated would, under the newprogram, be protected and managedas a critically endangered species. Soabrupt was the change that for oneyear the red wolf was listed as endan-gered while federal agents continuedto trap and destroy them. If manage-ment had drifted for another decadebefore the great change, the red wolf

When wildlife managers giveprogress reports on theirprograms, they typically

exude confidence. “Well, we face somechallenges,” they will report, “butwe’ve got this thing going the right way.” Sometimes, however, thetruth behind those blandly optimisticreports is dramatic. The managersnever report about those nights theystumble home after a disastrous dayand admit to anyone patient enough tolisten, “Oh man, I think we’ve had it.”

In the case of the red wolf program,the drama could hardly have beenmore gripping. The red wolf programhas been a lot like an Indiana Jones cliff-hanger film, full of narrowescapes from situations that lookedlike sure death. The red wolf justbarely dodged the bullet of extinction,not once but several times.

The red wolfjust barelydodged thebullet of extinction, not once butseveral times.

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would probably have been pushed offthe cliff of extinction.

Studies done in the 1960s revealedthat humans weren’t the only threatto red wolves. The new and moreinsidious threat was hybridization.Red wolves were mating with coy-otes. After passage of the federalEndangered Species Act of 1973,managers tried to save the red wolffrom being genetically swamped with coyote genes. Agents trappedand destroyed coyotes in the lastremaining red wolf habitat.

That effort failed. The supply ofcoyotes was virtually endless. Thesituation was so dire that it seemedthe red wolf was doomed to dis-appear as a distinct species. Thatdrove managers to an extremeremedy. They would save the red wolffrom extinction by trapping allremaining wolves and putting themin captive breeding centers.

Consider how desperate that was.Removing the last free red wolveswas the opposite of the intent of theEndangered Species Act. Red wolvesmight be saved from genetic extinc-tion but at the price of being lostfrom the wild. Managers could not besure that it would ever be politicallypossible to reintroduce wolves, one

of the most reviled species on earth.They could not be sure that wolveswould survive the transition from zoolife in captivity to life in the wild. Nopredator species had ever beensuccessfully restored. This decisionwas a massive gamble analogous toputting a man dying of cancer in acryogenic chamber, hoping that someday the technology for thawing andcuring him would appear.

And then things got worse. Whenmanagers began examining the 400or so “wolves” they managed to trapand confine, they saw the taint ofcoyote blood in many. They culledaway dubious wolves until there werejust 43. But there was no test to indi-cate which of those animals werepure wolves. Managers went througha second anguishing round of culling.As managers destroyed the animalssuspected of being hybrids they had to worry if they were killingauthentic red wolves—one of themost endangered species in NorthAmerica. After the last cull there werejust 17 wolves, only 14 of which wereable to breed.

When those red wolves beganreproducing, managers were facedwith daunting problems. Where couldthey reintroduce red wolves to the

Glynn Ri leyAn outdoorsman and trapper

who worked on a coyote controlprogram in south Texas,

Riley realized that red wolveswere fast disappearing because

of inbreeding with coyotes,starvation and disease. Riley

urged radio-collaring andtracking to determine how

many red wolves remained onthe southeastern Texas coast.

Curt is Car leyIn the early 1970s, Carley ledthe red wolf recovery project.Realizing the animal was onthe verge of extinction, he

recommended removing thelast red wolves from the Texasand Louisiana coast, breedingthem in captivity and finding a place to reintroduce their

offspring in the wild.

Many people—wildlife

biologists, agency officials,

wildlife managers,

researchers, citizens—

have been instrumental in

red wolf recovery. Their

names and their specific

contributions would be

listed here if space

permitted. To represent

all the heroes of red wolf

recovery, International Wolf

has chosen red

wolf recovery

pioneers

Curtis Carley, Glynn Riley,

Roy McBride, Warren

Parker and Mike Phillips.

International Wolf salutes

them and all the men and

women who have devoted a

great portion of their lives

and energies to saving the

red wolf from extinction

and returning it to freedom.

Pioneers of Red Wolf

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Pioneers of Red Wolf


wild? It had to be a place wherehumans would accept them, if such aplace existed. And it had to be a placewhere coyotes wouldn’t hybridizewith the red wolf, although coyotesare ubiquitous in the former range of the red wolf.

The next challenges to the pro-gram were legal and political.Managers struggled to find an areawhere people would tolerate wolves.Meanwhile, critical changes had to be made to the Endangered SpeciesAct, which was so rigid in its originalform that it imposed a straight jacketon restoration programs.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicefinally found a place to release a fewwolves. The Alligator River NationalWildlife Refuge release site was a

coyote-free peninsula. The presenceof water on three sides reduced thechances that wolves would run awayor that coyotes would enter therestoration area.

The first reintroduction releasehappened in 1987. That begananother harrowing time for the redwolf program. In spite of determinedoptimism by managers, everyoneknew that the wolves faced dauntingodds against survival. It takes morethan claws and teeth to survive as a predator. Above all, what is requiredis knowledge. Wild wolves have toknow how to find and kill food. Theymust know what animals or objectsare life-threatening. They need toknow to avoid humans. The reintro-duced wolves were dangerously naive.

As expected, mortality rates werehigh. Wolves were hit by cars, hadaccidents, drowned, succumbed todisease, hung out around humans orjust disappeared. About 80 percent of the reintroduced wolves diedshortly after being released.

In spite of that, managers keptreleasing more captive-bred wolves.Eventually, a few wolves survived longenough to mate and raise young. Andthen a few wild-born wolves beganrearing their own young. With that,the red wolf made the treacherouspassage from zoo-born dummies towild wolves. The wild-born pups ofwild-born wolves were the real deal.

Just when it looked like theprogram was a success, disasterstruck again. In the mid-1990s,

Roy McBride A skilled trapper, McBridecaught canids in western

Louisiana and eastern Texaswhen the all-out effort wasbeing made to capture red

wolves for captive breeding.

Mike Phi l l ips From 1986 to 1994, Phillips

was Coordinator of FieldProjects for the Red Wolf

Recovery Program. He serveson the International Wolf

Center’s board of directors.

Warren ParkerParker ran one of the boldestand most innovative wildlife

projects ever undertaken. The first Endangered Species

Coordinator in the UnitedStates, Parker was Red WolfCoordinator of the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service’s red wolf reintroduction project

starting in 1984.

And then a few wild-born wolves began rearingtheir own young. With that, the red wolf made

the treacherous passage from zoo-borndummies to wild wolves. The wild-born pups of

wild-born wolves were the real deal.

RecoveryRecovery


coyotes began infiltrating the recoveryarea, and wolves began breeding withcoyotes. While program leadersmaintained determined optimism in public, some insiders believed that the red wolf program wasdoomed. It hadn’t been possible tokeep wolves and coyotes apart in the1970s, and now it was proving just as difficult to keep coyotes fromobliterating the red wolf speciesthrough hybridization.

Just in time, in 1999 managerscrafted a new management protocolcalled “adaptive management.” Itfocused intensive control on coyotesin the zone where they were mostlikely to encounter wolves. In spite of the discouraging precedent, thisnew protocol succeeded, and theprogram survived another crisis.

Although Indiana Jones almostdies about twenty times in each of hisfilms, somehow he is always alivewhen the final reel has run and theyroll the credits. Today, in spite of all the close brushes with extinction,the red wolf is still with us. Don’t let anyone suggest it was easy! �

Steve Grooms has been writing aboutwolves and wolf management since 1976.He is the author of the book Return ofthe Wolf, and he serves on InternationalWolf ’s advisory committee.

The Red Wolf Recovery Programhas been granted the Association

of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)2007 North American

Conservation Award. This prestigious award recognizes the outstanding work of the

Species Survival Plan, the islandpropagation efforts, the restorationof the wild population, the ongoing

scientific research and more. Will Waddell, Coordinator of the Species Survival Plan (SSP) for the red wolf, accepted the

award in Philadelphia in mid-September 2007.

Wildlife biologists do a workup on a red wolf.A workup includes taking blood samples forgenetic testing and to assess health, takingmeasurements (e.g., weight and body, limb and ear length), looking at overall condition and attaching a radio collar.

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The conservation of an endangeredspecies is a slow, incremental process,and the story of red wolf (Canis rufus)

restoration is no exception. Many successesand failures have occurred throughout fourdecades of red wolf conservation, but theeffort has moved steadily forward, neverlosing its momentum.

Following the unprecedented and precar-ious attempt to save the species by removingthe few remaining red wolves from the wild,the birth of a litter of pups in captivity 30years ago was a victory in the struggle torecover the species. Ten years later anotherimportant milestone occurred in the recoveryof the red wolf and ultimately in the conser-vation of other imperiled carnivores.

“Nov. 12 1986 — Wolves arrived today,numerous media personnel.” A short entry in a biologist’s field notes marked the arrival ofeight red wolves that would soon be releasedinto the wilds of northeastern North Carolina.The wolves, four male-female pairs, wouldrepresent a new chapter in the species’ recovery.How these wolves would respond when setfree to wander the pocosins, agricultural fieldsand forested swamps of the Alligator River

National Wildlife Refuge was anyone’s guess.They had never experienced life outside of a pen, and their release would be the first of its kind.

Born and raised in captivity, the wolves werehealthy adults ranging from 3 to 6 years ofage. Some, including males 140M and 227Mand females 196F and 194F, were experiencedand proven breeders. Their role in this endeavorwould be to sire and whelp pups in the wild. The others, males 184M and 211M andfemales 231F and 205F, were chosen becausethey exhibited a wildness the biologists hopedwould contribute to their survival.

Upon arrival at the refuge, the wolves werepaired, radio-collared and placed in a pen,each named for its location. Wolves 184M and205F were penned at Point Peter; 227M and194F were placed at Phantom Road; 140Mand 231F were positioned at Pole Road butlater transferred to South Lake; and 211M and196F, first placed at South Lake, were latermoved to Pole Road. The wolves’ new homewas similar in many ways to the captive envi-ronment in which they had spent their entirelives. The difference would be in their abilityto leave it.

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That opportunity came onSeptember 14, 1987. After a lifetimein captivity and 10 months in a penon the refuge, the first of the red wolf pairs was set free. In contrast tothe excitement generated by thewolves’ arrival in northeastern NorthCarolina, there was no media fanfare

for the release. The new South Lake

wolves (140M and 231F)were the first to be setfree, but they didn’timmediately take advan-tage of their new inde-pendence. For severaldays the wolves seemedreluctant to ventureoutside of the pen.Eventually, though, theytook their first steps of freedom—first thefemale, then the male.The other re leasesoccurred about twoweeks later, on October1. One by one, the pensat Point Peter, PoleRoad, and PhantomRoad were opened. Aftera century’s absence, redwolves were once againroaming coastal NorthCarolina.

And roam they did.

The wolves took to exploring therefuge and, to the dismay of the biol-ogists, the nearby communities. Bymid-October, the new South Lakemale (140M) had ventured into asmall town east of the refuge.Scrambling to prevent an incident,the biologists set out to capture him.The South Lake male was eventuallytranquilized and returned to his pen, but not before ambling aroundthe post office and a few homes andcreating quite a stir among town residents.

To limit the wolves’ roving, thenew South Lake pair was relocatedand released at a site in the southernportion of the refuge, where theyremained until mid-December whenthe female was found dead on thebank of Pamlico Sound. The necropsyreport attributed her death to“pleural effusion and internalbleeding,” most likely the result of anunknown infection. The new SouthLake female was the first mortalityfollowing the release. Sadly, shewould not be the last.

Meanwhile, the other wolves werealso moving around the landscape.The new Pole Road pair (211M and196F) traveled toward the PhantomRoad male (227M), who had re-mained in the vicinity of his pen. Hismate, the Phantom Road female(194F), had taken to frequentingprivate property, like the South Lakemale. Abandoned by his mate, thePhantom Road male was left to viefor his territory alone against the newPole Road pair. Eventually, thePhantom Road female was recap-tured and reunited with her mateback in their pen. But the new PoleRoad pair remained in the area.Sometime around Christmas day(1987), the Phantom Road femaleand the Pole Road pair got into aclash through the pen fence. ThePhantom Road female was severelyinjured in the process and had to beeuthanized.

The death of the two females and the disruption of the two wolfpairs during winter 1987 took its toll

Red wolves were first released in the AlligatorRiver National Wildlife Refuge in northeasternNorth Carolina in 1987. The refuge containsdiverse habitats, including several types ofwetland, which are home to numerouswildlife species, such as black bears andwading birds.

When red wolves werereintroduced in 1987,they were first placed inpens, such as the oneshown here, before beingreleased to the wild.

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on the reintroduction effort. In anattempt to restore the balance, thebiologists released two femalewolves, a yearling (322F) and a two-year-old (300F), in spring 1988.Although these wolves would bereleased too late in the breedingseason to find mates and reproduce,the biologists remained optimistic for the birth of wild red wolves fromthe other wolf pairs.

Their optimism was rewarded onApril 28, when the Point Peter female(205F) gave birth to a single femalepup (351F). A second pup, a female(344F), born to the new Pole Roadpair followed on May 5. Although thelitters consisted of only one pup each(a typical litter is four to six pups),the biologists were elated over thewild births. More than a decade hadpassed since the last red wolf pup was born in the wild. Their excite-ment, though, would be tempered byeven more loss.

The new Pole Road female died onMay 25, 1988, succumbing to auterine infection following the birthof her pup a few weeks earlier. Four

days later (May 29) the Point Petermale was killed when struck by avehicle, as was the new South Lakemale in mid-June (June 15). Andlater that year (December 27), thenew Pole Road male died when hesuffocated on the kidney of a raccoonhe was devouring.

Naturally, with so many losses,more wolves would be needed for theprogram to continue. In the ensuingyears, more captive-born wolveswould be set free, and with thesereleases came the formation of newpairs and the birth of pups. In 1989,the Phantom Road male was pairedwith the Point Peter female andproduced a litter of four pups. Afterthe death of the Phantom Road malein September 1989, the Point Peterfemale paired with a newly released,island-born male (331M). They pro-duced a litter in 1991, one of fourwild litters whelped that year. Thereintroduction effort was taking off;five short years into the reintroduc-

tion there were 30 free-rangingwolves in northeastern NorthCarolina.

In the years following the initialrelease, wild litters would be born ofwild-born wolves, and the release ofcaptive-born adult wolves wouldend. The original eight wolves maynot have contributed to the programin terms of reproduction. But theirrelease, the first reintroduction of acarnivore that had been declaredextinct in the wild, solidified the red wolf’s place in the history books.The red wolf reintroduction effortalso became a model for reintro-ducing other imperiled species. Withthat, it is impossible to deny thecontribution these first eight wolvesmade in preserving the future of thespecies and other species like it. �

David R. Rabon Jr. is an endangeredspecies biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Raleigh, NorthCarolina, and a Ph.D. candidate at NorthCarolina State University, where he isstudying factors affecting social andreproductive behaviors of red wolves.

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INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER

Major Contributors and Special GiftsJUNE—AUGUST 2007

Donna Mack-Iwanski

Bud Lackie

Dr. MitchellMacenski

Dr. L. David Mech

Pat Meyer

William and Patty Miller

Robert Patterson

Mrs. Cornelius W.Pettinga

Ted Rockwell

Martha Schoonover

Gerard and Nan Snyder

Robert and Kathryn Vizas

Corey Voss

Bruce Weeks

Keith and Kathleen Williams

Timothy Wilson

Margaret Wyllie

MemorialsIn memory ofMarcee LynnHanson:

Walter G. Alliss Jr.

In memory of Lakota:

Judy Carstenson

In memory of Ruby Griffith Munn:

Maxanne Cabot

In memory ofMarjorie Richards:

Joel and CherylForstrom

Bud Richards

Warren Strandlien

In memory of Peggy Ann Sargent:

Darien, Logan andLucas Sargent

Alonna Warns

In memory of David Truesdale:

Andrea and Cole Groebner

Rich Groebner

Tom and NancyLawrence

Kay and Mike Littell

Tom and Candy Manian

Mike and Julie Pilarski

Marilyn Truesdale

Marti Truesdale

In memory of my“little brother” Ron:

Barbara Turner

In memory ofWidgie and Dugan:

Christine Englert

In memory of Walter A. Zuelow:

Dianne ZuelowGiffen and Garey Giffen

In memory of Carole Zuidmulder:

Jean Ruth

HonoraryIn honor of Bob Gilbert:

Susan Nehring

In honor of Andrew Gold’s 11th birthday:

Andre Abedian

Jake Armuth

Sam DeLap

Denise Engel

In honor of Walter Medwid:

Jerry Sanders

In honor of Rachel Rossman’sgraduation from college:

Tim and Bernadette Feeley

MatchingGifts andFoundationsAmeriprise FinancialEmployee GivingProgram on behalf of:

Nancy Brooks

Microsoft GivingCampaign on behalf of:

Raul Garcia

Sherry Green

Prudential MatchingGifts Program on behalf of:

JoAnne Bartlein

REI WorkplaceGiving Campaignon behalf of:

Erin Harri

Leslye Teuber

MajorDonorsHoward andCamilla Alton

Dena Arntzen

Toxie Beavers

Robert Bell

Donald Benson Jr.and ConnieWinslow Benson

John Cain andTanya Reiss Cain

Marilyn and Doug Capouch

Robert Carlson

Lammot Copeland Jr.

Gary and Doreen Deutsch

Brian and Ellen Dietz

Tom Dwight

Mike and Marie Flatness

Julia and Parker Hall

Judy Hunter

Christine and Galen Kam

Virginia Kluwin

ThankYou

Terra et EducareFoundation

Thomson WestEmployee GivingCampaign on behalf of:

Michael Carpenter

In-KindDonationsForrest and Diane Borreson

Frank Coorsen

Patrick Guy

Preston Haining

Warren Strandlien

EstatesVincent L. Hillyer

Dorothy Webber

Brad

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Red WolfCaptiveManagementFacilitiesAll the facilities listed here offer viewing of red wolves to visitors.

Chaffee Zoo, Fresno, California

Beardsley ZoologicalGardens, Bridgeport,Connecticut

Homosassa SpringsWildlife Park, Homosassa, Florida

Jacksonville Zoo,Jacksonville, Florida

Brevard Zoo, Melbourne, Florida

Tallahassee Museum of Natural History,Tallahassee, Florida

Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa, Florida

Chehaw Wild AnimalPark, Albany, Georgia

Miller Park Zoo,Bloomington, Illinois

Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Illinois

Niabi Zoo, Niabi, Illinois

Henson Robinson Zoo,Springfield, Illinois

Land Between the Lakes,Golden Pond, Kentucky

Alexandria ZoologicalPark, Alexandria, Louisiana

Salisbury Zoological Park,Salisbury, Maryland

Wildlife Science Center,Forest Lake, Minnesota

Jackson Zoological Park,Jackson, Mississippi

Wild Canid Survival & Research Center, Eureka, Missouri

Trevor Zoo, Millbrook, New York

New York WolfConservation Center, South Salem, New York

Burnet Park Zoo, Syracuse, New York

North Carolina Zoo,Asheboro, North Carolina

Western North CarolinaNature Center, Asheville, North Carolina

North Carolina Life & Science, Durham, North Carolina

Dan Nichols Park Nature Center, Salisbury, North Carolina

Oklahoma City Zoo,Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Roger Williams Park Zoo,Providence, Rhode Island

Cape Romain NWR(Sewee), Awenda, South Carolina

Great Plains Zoo, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Chattanooga NatureCenter, Chattanooga,Tennessee

Knoxville Zoo, Knoxville, Tennessee

Fossil Rim Wildlife Center,Glen Rose, Texas

Fort Worth Zoo, Fort Worth, Texas

Texas Zoo, Victoria, Texas

Virginia Living Museum,Newport News, Virginia

Mill Mountain Zoo,Roanoke, Virginia

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Tacoma, Washington

Wolf Haven International,Tenino, Washington

Oglebay’s Good Zoo,Wheeling, West Virginia

North Eastern WisconsinZoo, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Tracking the Pack

Check online for Web sites for these red wolf captive management facilities.

The International WolfCenter’s resident wolves

are true ambassadors,enchanting visitors whoview them in their spaciouswooded habitat. A Web camenables Web site (www.wolf.org) visitors to “trackthe pack” online.

The Center’s manage-ment philosophy empha-sizes socializing wolves at ayoung age to reduce anxietyand stress for the wolvesthat are “on exhibit” at theeducational center, to maxi-mize wolf handling andveterinary care opportuni-ties and to enhance thevisitor experience. FutureTracking the Pack articleswill address the process ofsocializing pups as theCenter prepares for newarrivals in spring 2008.

The Center’s wolves rep-resent two gray wolf (Canislupus) subspecies that arenot endangered in the wild.Thus, the Center’s wolveswould never be candidatesfor release in the wild. Bornin captivity, they will stay in captivity. Their job is tosupport the Center’s missionto give the public an under-standing of the physiologyand behavior of wild wolvesand to further understandingof the issues facing wildwolves.

But it is important tounderstand that this social-

The Center’s ambassador wolves represent two gray wolf (Canis lupus)subspecies that are not endangered in the wild. Their job is to support theCenter’s mission to give the public an understanding of the physiology andbehavior of wild wolves and to further understanding of the issues facingwild wolves.

However, most red wolf SSPfacilities do maintain exhibitwolves (see list).

Wolves bred and held forpotential release in the wildare managed in a way toreduce wolf-human bondingor dependence on humans.If possible, handling tech-

niques are designed to reinforce interaction withhumans as a negative expe-rience. The more fear-avoid-ance reaction the SSP wolveshave toward people, thehigher will be the chance ofsurvival when these wolvesare released in the wild. �

Captive Wolf Management:Socialized versus Non-socializedb y L o r i S c h m i d t , W o l f C u r a t o r ,I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o l f C e n t e r

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ized captive wolf manage-ment plan is just one stylerepresented in a captiveenvironment. In facilitieswith non-socialized captivewolf management, inter-action with humans isstrictly avoided. The primarypurpose of these SpeciesSurvival Program (SSP)facilities is to breed and raisehighly endangered wolveslike the Mexican gray wolfand the red wolf for rein-troduction into the wild.


sportsmen looking to harvest thisnon-native and highly adaptiveanimal. With more sportsmen huntingcoyotes in areas the endangered red wolf now inhabits, the problem of identification will increase. Thus,wildlife managers must come up with solutions.

Hunter education is a good placeto start. The U.S. Fish and WildlifeService (USFWS) and the NCWRCalong with Defenders of Wildlife and the Red Wolf Coalition workedcooperatively to create red wolfpocket ID cards. These laminatedcards show and explain the physicaldifferences between the red wolf andthe coyote and include a map of the current range of the red wolf inthe five northeastern counties of thestate. This colorful and informativepocket pamphlet has helped educatethe public about the expanding rangeof the red wolf as the wild populationincreases.

With the distribution of the cardsthrough the NCWRC’s HunterEducation Program, wildlife managersare reaching out to outdoorsmen andraising awareness about the impor-

North Carolina has a longheritage of hunting, and inthe state’s more rural areas,

it’s a way of life. Of the many specieshunted in North Carolina, the coyoteis becoming a favorite amongsportsmen because of the challengeof hunting a top predator. A fewsportsmen now hunt specifically forthese wily critters. But by far, most ofthe coyotes harvested in the state aretaken as an incidental prize whilehunting another species.

In North Carolina, coyotes areconsidered a “nuisance” animal,along with beavers, groundhogs,nutria and skunks. The NorthCarolina Wildlife Resources Com-mission (NCWRC) allows year-roundhunting for these species with few to no restrictions.

Since a large southeastern coyoteweighs up to 40 pounds, a positiveidentification between a coyote and a red wolf, especially a young wolf,can be difficult. Even trappers withan animal in hand sometimes havetrouble telling the difference.

As coyote populations continue toincrease, so will the numbers of

West Gate

Hunter Education and Red Wolf Restoration

b y D a v i d D e n t o n

tance of making a positive ID in thefield. The ID cards are given to allwho attend a hunter education classin the northeastern part of the stateand are available wherever huntinglicenses are sold. With NCWRC officers and volunteer instructorsteaching about the importance of allspecies, sportsmen will gain a deeperrespect for the broader aspects ofwildlife management.

Eastern North Carolina has seenmany changes in the past 20 years.With new roads, highways and subdi-visions being built for the ever-increasing human population that isspreading into rural areas, educatingthe public about red wolves will be a major challenge. The pocket IDcards along with the materials andinformation in hunter educationclasses will help both the hunting and non-hunting public to protectthe red wolf. �

David Denton is a Hunter EducationSpecialist with the North CarolinaWildlife Enforcement Division, where he has worked since 1984 with wildlifemanagement, research and education.


The Bulls Boysb y M i c h a e l L . M o r s e

You never forget the first time a wild wolf responds to yourhowls, offered into the dark

night. But my first attempt was evenmore memorable because, not beingan accomplished howler, I finishedwith a series of uncontrollablecoughs—to the great amusement ofthe senior wolf biologists. Everyonestopped laughing, though, when thetwo newly released red wolf brothersreturned my howl. Although myvocal cords felt scorched, theswelling sensation in my chest andmind made all else insignificant.

I remember clearly when the“Bulls Boys” arrived from Bulls Islandin 1989. These red wolf siblings,331M and 332M, had been born incaptivity on the island the previousyear and released with their parentsinto the wilds of the Cape RomainNational Wildlife Refuge off the coastof South Carolina. When the “Boys”were later set free into the MilltailFarms on the Alligator River NationalWildlife Refuge in northeasternNorth Carolina, we had no clue thatthey would catapult the fledglingwolf project onto the road to success.

As yearlings, the brothers gave nohint of their substantial impact onthe recovery program. With their tall, lanky bodies, sizable feet andbroad heads, their appearance wasnot particularly impressive. Only oneother wolf lived at Milltail Farms—the female 351F. We thought the10,000 acres of fields and forest wereenough to support the brothers and351F, plus another wolf family. TheBulls Boys had other ideas.

Only a month after the release of a new wolf family (227M and 205Fand their four pups) into Milltail

Farms, the year-ling brothers at-tacked and killedadult 227M. In thefollowing months,one of the “Boys”(331M) paired with205F (the mother ofthe four pups), and theother brother (332M)paired with 351F. To topall this, the Bulls Boysallowed 205F’s four pupsto remain in the Farmsand grow up with the twopacks! The possibility of two familygroups in the Farms producing twolitters, one of which would containsecond-generation pups was incred-ible. Second-generation pups were a major measure of the recoveryprogram’s success, and it washappening in the first two years!

Unfortunately, it was all too goodto last. Unused to negotiating high-way traffic on Bulls Island, 332M did not have 351F’s experience withcars. She regularly crossed Highway264, probably to hunt marsh rabbits.One night just before the 1989breeding season, 332M was killedwhile crossing a highway just northof Milltail Farms.

In 2000, no longer a “Boy” at theadvanced age of 12, 331M was stillhanging on and living with the

Milltail pack. One of his pups raisedhis own family virtually “next door”at the Farms, tolerated by the OldMan, who likely would not havegiven up a portion of his territory inhis younger days. Near the end of hislife, he may no longer have been thebreeding male of the Milltail pack,but he has left a living legacy. Siringat least 22 pups from seven litters, his genes are today an integral part of the wild population of red wolvesin northeastern North Carolina. AndI hope it’s true, what the old-timerssay: “All dogs go to heaven.”

Michael L. Morse is a native of north-eastern North Carolina and a biologistand private land coordinator with theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Red WolfRecovery Team.

Red wolf siblings331M and 332M,

known as the “BullsBoys,” were born in

captivity on BullsIsland and released

with their parents intothe wilds of the Cape

Romain NationalWildlife Refuge off the coast of SouthCarolina in 1989.

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But a few years ago, somethingextraordinary happened. Mange hadcropped up in an area of the recoveryregion, and the field team wanted toobserve some wolves. Mange mites,parasites that burrow into the skin,can be life threatening. The intenseitching and loss of the protective coatcan cause the wolf to suffer extremeweight loss and, in cold weather,hypothermia.

So, one midsummer day, I wentlooking for a radio-collared femaleand picked up her signal in a corn-field. Wolves seem to prefer tall corn,maybe because there is shade to pro-vide a cool spot, and there are fewerbugs to contend with. I crawled intothe field and saw her lying down inone of the rows. She was a gooddistance away, but with binoculars I could see her well. She was facingme, her eyes closed. Before long, shelifted her head briefly and lookedaway. Then suddenly, she stared backin my direction.

I thought she would turn and run off, as wolves normally do, so Ilooked hard for signs of mange. Butinstead of bolting, the wolf got up,lowered her ears, crouched, and beganslowly walking toward me. It waseerie. I had never encountered a wolfthat didn’t run, and this one seemed to be stalking me as if I were prey.

Through the binoculars, she ap-peared to be about 20 yards away, soI let her get close enough for a goodlook before I whistled. She turnedimmediately and disappeared fromsight. When I got out of the corn, I wiped the sweat from my eyes andlistened again for her signal. I foundit—coming right from where I hadbeen lying in the corn.

Maybe she was just curious, tryingto figure out just what exactly shehad seen. I can’t say for certain, but it was an experience I won’t forget.

And best of all, she looked healthyand mange-free!

Art Beyer is lead biologist of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Red WolfRecovery Team in northeastern North Carolina.

Checked Out by a Wolf!b y A r t B e y e r

Ilearned early in my career as afield biologist that observing redwolves in the wild is difficult. As

a volunteer in 1989, I felt I knew eachpack inside and out from daily track-ing, but I had yet to see a wolf duringmy first three months in the recoveryarea because of the flat terrain andthick vegetation. Even now, asidefrom the times we remove a wolffrom a trap or sneak up on one to geta sighting or to locate a den, we justdon’t see them. Occasionally I’ll spotwolves during telemetry flights. I’vewatched adults chasing deer andpups playing together, and once Iwatched a wolf chasing off a coupleof dogs that had wondered too closeto its den. However, even from the airit is difficult to see much detailbecause of the vegetation.

Field biologists do not often see red wolves in the wild unless they are removingone from a trap or sneaking up on one to get a sighting or to locate a den.

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Bombing RangeBalloonsb y C h r i s L u c a s h

Red wolf whelping season is abrief period each spring thatthe field biologists both look

forward to and dread. This stage ofthe wolves’ biological cycle is thepayoff for our work throughout therest of the year. It holds the promiseof a new wolf generation and fore-tells, in part, the future status of thepopulation. An annual, critical firststep in monitoring and managing thered wolf population occurs at thedens. It sounds deceptively quick andsimple: track to the breeding female’sradio collar, find the pups, take adrop of blood from each for a geneticrecord and pedigree confirmation,and insert a tiny transponder chipunder each pup’s skin for lifelonginstant identification.

The dreaded part stems fromknowing that red wolves chooseisolated den locations that are as unap-proachable as possible. Sometimes themother is not at the den, or she detectsus before we get close and leads us offin the wrong direction. The whelpingseason also coincides with otheruninviting seasonal changes: thebeginning of high heat and humidity,the prolific growth of thorny vines and poison ivy, and the burgeoningpopulation of biting insects.

Locating the Gator pack den isalways tough. This pack dens nearthe target area of an air forcebombing range; thus, the field crewhas to work on Sunday, when therange isn’t “hot” with machine gunstrafing and practice bombs. Becausethe breeding female’s radio trans-mitter has quit functioning, findingher den means tracking her mate,who might be near the pups. Thisrequires fighting dense shrubs anddowned trees overgrown with black-berry and entwined with honey-suckle, greenbrier and grapevine.Always the ground is rarely visibleand all but unreachable when I fall.

For long stretches, I have to dragmyself on my elbows through lownarrow tunnels, driven on by thefleeting hope of finding a den or apup but also by the unnervingthought of countless seed ticks trav-eling up my clothing and themaddening realization that dozenshave already made it through to myskin. Most searches yield pups onlyafter many hours and repeatedattempts. Some years, I find nothingbut lonely, empty day-beds, followedthen by several weeks of itching.

In spring 2007, we were fortunate.The male wolf’s signal indicated he

was in an isolated patch of myrtleshrubs in a sparsely vegetated bognot far from our trucks. As a visualreference, I noticed his signal camefrom just north of two vagrant partyballoons that had snagged on anearby branch. I could see well-trav-eled trails leading through the bog inthat direction. Moving quietly, wecircled around to get downwind andcrept within a few meters of the malewolf before he detected us and fled.Surprisingly, within 30 minutes, wefound two healthy pups, one maleand one female.

Most searches yield pups only after many hoursand repeated attempts. Some years, I find

nothing but lonely, empty day-beds, followed then by several weeks of itching.

Red wolves choose isolated den locations that field biologists must reach by fightingthrough dense shrubs and downed trees overgrown with blackberry and entwinedwith honeysuckle, greenbrier and grapevine.

For more first-person accounts from the field, please visit:http://www.fws.gov/alligatorriver/

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out. Often, however, I am remindedthat I do not. And I look forward to “going to work” every day—some-times even on Sunday. �

After processing the pups, westarted back, lighthearted, relieved andjoking. On the way in, we hadn’t paidmuch attention to those two balloonsbobbing in the breeze near the den. But now we took a closer look. Theycould not have been snagged therelong with the thorny vines, wind,machine gun rounds, exploding prac-tice bombs and all—a couple of days,tops. Someone made an offhandcomment about birthday balloons forthe newborn pups, and we all laughed.A co-worker veered off trail to retrievethe balloons, and his return put asudden end to our jabbering. “HappyBirthday!” proclaimed a yellow balloon.The other was white and appropriatelycovered in tiny black puppy footprints.I took a photograph to remember andto prove the remarkable coincidence to my wife.

After more than 20 years of workwith red wolves, I see some draw-backs. I get stuck in routines, andsometimes think I have it all figured

Chris Lucash is a field biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service RedWolf Recovery Team in northeasternNorth Carolina.

Camp can make a big difference in yourson’s life. We place him in an idealwilderness setting, teach him, help himmake friends and grow. Since 1951, our philosophy has evolved into a solidprogram that emphasizes fair play, fun, fitness and REAL CAMPING.

TRADITIONAL SUMMER CAMP FOR BOYS 10-17WILDERNESS CANOE & BACKPACK TRIPS

In spring 2007, Chris Lucash located two healthy red wolf pups—nearby were these two balloonsbobbing in the breeze near the den.

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Acritical step in the red wolf’sjourney from near extinction toreintroduction in northeastern

North Carolina was initiating amanaged breeding program. Withoutthis effort, securing the red wolf’sfuture would have been doubtful.

Before the Association of Zoos andAquariums established the SpeciesSurvival Plan® (SSP) program in 1981,only three facilities were involved in red wolf captive management. The SSP concept is straightforward;conserve rare species in a cooperativeway to promote long-term popula-tion diversity and demographic sta-bility. Cooperation is the operativeword and is a hallmark of the RedWolf SSP. Today, 42 approved zoosand wildlife centers around theUnited States participate in the RedWolf SSP and collectively manage apopulation of 208 red wolves.

How does the Red Wolf SSP fit into the recovery equation with fieldefforts focused on monitoring thewild population? Managing the popu-lation as a genetic reservoir is ourprimary task. Since all red wolvesmanaged by the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service (USFWS) and theRed Wolf SSP are descended from just14 founder wolves, preserving geneticdiversity is critically important. How-ever, the Red Wolf SSP does fillmultiple roles. While the need toprovide adult wolves for reintroduc-tion has diminished in recent years asmore red wolves breed and producepups in the wild, the innovative tech-nique of cross-fostering pups from the Red Wolf SSP to wild litters(where the captive-born pups areraised by wild wolves along with theirown offspring) has emerged as animportant way for the Red Wolf SSP

to support interactive managementbetween the two populations.

Coordinating research in genomebanking, assisted reproduction, be-havior studies and veterinary medi-cine are all examples of areas that willenhance our ability to manage thepopulation and are possible throughRed Wolf SSP cooperation and in-volvement. Informing the millions ofpeople who annually visit Red WolfSSP institutions about the red wolfstory provides a great opportunity foreducation. In recent years, educatorsin the Red Wolf SSP, the USFWS and the Red Wolf Coalition haveorganized education workshops toevaluate education programs andmaterials and develop initiatives thatcan be shared with red wolf partnersand local teachers.

It is fittingthat we cele-brate 20 yearssince red wolvesfrom the RedWolf SSP werer e l e a s e d a tAlligator RiverNational Wild-life Refuge. Thiseffort representsa conservationsuccess storythat has been amodel for otherspecies restora-tion projects.This year alsomarks another important anniversaryin the red wolf program. In 1977,four years after the breeding pro-gram was formalized, the first litter of red wolf pups was born at thePoint Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington. The partner-

ship between the USFWS and theRed Wolf SSP is an important compo-nent of implementing strategiesoutlined for the recovery program.This long-standing commitment tored wolf recovery by the USFWS andthe Red Wolf SSP illustrates ourcollective understanding of the rolethis unique predator plays in thediverse landscape of the southeasternUnited States. The fact that the redwolf is living in the wild is a testamentto the tenacity of red wolves and thepeople who want them to succeed. �

Will Waddell is the Coordinator of the Red Wolf Species Survival Program at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington(http://www.pdza. org/page.php?id=296).

Back from the Brink of Extinction:

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The Red Wolf Species Survival

Program

Today, 42 approved zoos and wildlife centersaround the United States participate in theRed Wolf Species Survival Program and collec-tively manage a population of 208 red wolves.

• SSP facilities

This 2007 publication is beingdistributed to all libraries andschools in the five-county redwolf recovery area in NorthCarolina, and to various agen-cies and red wolf educationfacilities throughout theUnited States. Funds areprovided by the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service Red WolfRecovery Team and the RedWolf Coalition.


pretive resources. Available fromU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Call252-473-1131, ext. 246, or [email protected].

Far Traveler is a comprehensiveactivity workbook containing lessonplans, crossword puzzles, word finds,matching challenges and other gamesto teach about red wolves and howthey live. It can be downloaded at no cost from the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service (see “Red Wolves onthe Web” below). A revised editionwill be available in 2007.

Red Wolf Species Survival Plan(RWSSP) Educator Packet 2006contains educational materials devel-

oped by the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, Red WolfSpecies Survival Program, theRed Wolf Coalition and theU.S. Forest Service. ContactEducation Advisors CraigStandridge ([email protected]) or Pam Meyer([email protected]) for information.

Education is an important com-ponent of red wolf recovery.Several organizations have

developed high-quality learningmaterials and offer them in a varietyof formats.

Teachers, Non-formal Educators, Parents,Students:

How would you like to learnabout red wolves?

Red Wolf Discovery Box offers“hands-on” experiences for all audi-ences. It contains a wolf pelt, skull,tracking collar, track cast and inter-

Books and VideosThe Red Wolf (Wolves and Wild Dogs Series), by Fred Harrington

The Red Wolf (Saving EndangeredSpecies Series), by Alison Imbriaco

Red Wolf Country, by Jonathon London

Gray Wolf/Red Wolf, by Dorothy Patent

Journey of the Red Wolf,by Roland Smith

Return of the Wolf, by Steve Grooms

“Restoration of the Red Wolf,” by Michael K. Phillips, V. GaryHenry, and Brian T. Kelly, chapter 11in Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, andConservation, edited by L. DavidMech and Luigi Boitani

Meant to Be Wild, by Jan DeBlieu

Recovering a Species: The Red Wolf(DVD from U.S. Fish and WildlifeService)

World Wide Web: Red wolf lovers of all ages inter-

ested in the latest and most in-depthinformation will find it on the World Wide Web. Here are some not-to-miss sites. The URLs are listed inthe textbox below.

Field Trip Earth: Operated by theNorth Carolina Zoological Society,this Web site has monitored the redwolf recovery program since 2002

Red Wolf Learning ResourcesA Sampling for Teachers, Non-formalEducators, Parents and Students

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Far Travelerwww.fws.gov/alligatorriver/red%20wolf/rwee.html

Field Trip Earthwww.fieldtripearth.org

Red Wolf Coalitionwww.redwolves.com

International Wolf Centerwww.wolf.org

Defenders of Wildlifewww.defenders.org

Wild Canid Survivaland Research Centerwww.wolfsanctuary.org

U.S. Fish and WildlifeService Red WolfRecovery Programwww.fws.gov/alligatorriver/redwolf.html

Point Defiance Zoo andAquarium Red WolfSpecies Survival Programwww.pdza. org/page.php?id=296

The WolfConservation Centerwww.wolfconservationcenter.org

North Carolina WildlifeResources Commissionwww.ncwildlife.org

Red Wolves on the Weband offers stories, photos and videoresources about red wolves and thehistory of the recovery program.

Red Wolf Coalition, InternationalWolf Center, U.S. Fish and WildlifeService, Defenders of Wildlife andPoint Defiance Zoo and AquariumRed Wolf Species Survival Program:These organizations provide impor-tant facts about red wolves and aboutthe people who work to protect them.

The red wolf barely evaded extinc-tion just a few short years ago. Publiceducation will help ensure that itwon’t come close again. Click to theWeb, visit the library, or contact redwolf experts to learn more—and besure to share your newfound knowl-edge with the children in your life. �

Mark MacAllister coordinates Field TripEarth and serves as vice-chair on the Red Wolf Coalition’s board of directors.

For 14 years the International Wolf Center has enjoyed the leadership of aremarkable man.

At a board-staff retreat in early days, we were each asked to select an ani-mal which best represented our role in the organization. Walter Medwidwas an eagle, the visionary, flying high, searching out the next deliciouspossibility. And yet he has also brought to the Center the characteristics ofthe buffalo in his steady marching forward, the bear in his focus on essen-tial details, and the mouse in his good friendship.

Walter's success as executive director is reflected in the strengths of ourstaff, the collegiality of the Center's board and theorganizational results: hundreds of success-ful initiatives and credibility in the worldof the wolf.

As Walter leaves the Center, we aregrateful for these years and the giftshe has shared—energy, intelligence,integrity and friendship.

Fly well, eagle.

Thank you, Walter.


must seek additional scientific data onwolf-coyote interactions and developstrategies to ensure long-term red wolf survival in the face of continuing pressures from people and fromeastern coyotes. Another challenge isto reduce red wolf mortality from gun-shot and vehicles by educating andworking with targeted audiencesthrough programs and widely distrib-uted informational materials. A thirdchallenge is to rally support from stategovernments, select communities and natural resource partners to estab-lish additional populations of redwolves in new locations. Other chal-lenges involve addressing the effects of climate change and the dynamics of canid disease.

Challenges will necessitate creativesolutions, and we are optimistic inour hopes and vision for the future ofred wolves. The red wolf is back fromthe brink of extinction thanks tovisionary scientists, enthusiastic part-ners, hard-working field biologistsand state-of-the-art manage-ment tools. We look forwardto the day when at

least two or three wild and viable redwolf populations are thriving on por-tions of their former historic range.We will continue in our determina-tion to help red wolves survive andto reach to new levels of renewal, andit is our hope they will be appreciatedand enjoyed by people from manylands across many generations. �

Bud Fazio, a wildlife biologist, hasserved as Team Leader of the Red WolfRecovery Program since 2001 for theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)in North Carolina. Previously, Fazioworked for the USFWS as an endangeredspecies biologist overseeing efforts formore than 30 federally endangered orthreatened species in Ohio andsurrounding states.

A Look Beyond for the Red Wolfb y B u d F a z i o

The journey of the red wolf isextraordinary. Going from toppredator for 10,000 years in

eastern and southeastern NorthAmerica to “extinct in the wild” by1980, the resilient red wolf has madean astonishing comeback since 1987.Red wolves again roam and howl inthe wild, and we celebrate the 20thanniversary year of restoration. Hardwork by veteran field biologists andcaptive breeding program specialistshave established one wild red wolfpopulation in North Carolina and acaptive breeding population com-prised of many facilities across theUnited States. New techniques suchas pup fostering have been developedand implemented. We all have reasonto be proud.

We expect creative innovationsand solid accomplishments in yearsto come. Pioneering advances will continue in genetics, adaptive management, satellite telemetry,habitat studies and field monitoring.New insights will be developed incanid taxonomy. Interaction studiesbetween red wolves and easterncoyotes will move from planningstages to field implementation. Freshperspectives in the human dimen-sions of wolf restoration will beexplored. The central roles ofoutreach education and ecotourismin red wolf conservation will grow.Additional partnership opportunitieswill develop, while existing partner-ships strengthen.

We anticipate challenges as well.For example, we know how to effec-tively build a red wolf population,how to successfully manage easterncoyotes, and how to reduce or elimi-nate threats of interbreeding. Yet, we

Biologist RyanNordsven, holdingred wolf pupsborn in 2007.

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red wolf restoration: a 20-year journey

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