Coyote hunting driving red wolves to the brink
Jamie Rappaport Clark, Defenders of Wildlife
There are only about 100 left – and if drastic measures aren’t taken soon, the critically endangered red wolf could once again be pushed to extinction in the wild by coyote hunters in North Carolina.
That’s why we’re going to court to save America’s last population of critically endangered red wolves.
Last week, Defenders and our conservation allies officially filed suit in federal court to halt uncontrolled hunting of coyotes in the red wolves’ North Carolina habitat. In the past year, hunters have killed at least 10 red wolves – that’s 10 percent of the remaining wild population of these remarkable creatures.
North Carolina’s red wolves are the last remaining wild population on earth. These animals were extinct in the wild as recently as 1980 due to intensive predator control and loss of habitat. A concerted reintroduction program has raised the wild population of these animals to roughly 100, all confined to a small area in the eastern part of the state.
Red wolves are almost indistinguishable from coyotes in daylight, and at night they are virtually impossible to tell apart. In spite of this, the state has authorized almost unlimited hunting for coyotes in red wolf habitat. Unless the hunting is stopped, red wolves are in serious danger of once again disappearing from the wild.
Defenders Leads the Pack on Wolf Conservation
Defenders has an undisputed reputation for national leadership on behalf of America’s endangered wolves. With the help from supporters like you we’re fighting in Washington, DC to stop the delisting of nearly all gray wolves in the Lower 48; we’re fighting for emergency measures to help Mexican gray wolves recover in the Southwest; and we’re fighting to give North Carolina’s last 100 wild red wolves a chance at survival.
Future generations deserve to grow up in a world where wolves still roam. Donate today to help save our nation’s fragile red wolves.
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Jamie Rappaport Clark President Defenders of Wildlife |