Red Wolf Week

Written By: Aimee Turcotte

​Red Wolves are gorgeous animals that are now rare to see in the wild. These canines used to range from central Texas to southern Pennsylvania to Florida, but now you can only see Red Wolves in the wild in northeastern North Carolina’s Albemarle Peninsula. Red Wolves prefer habitats such as bottomland forests, dense mountains, coastal prairies, swamps, and marshes. Unfortunately, the land of the Albemarle Peninsula is susceptible to climate change due to sea level rise, since the coastal plains in this area are only three feet above sea level. It is estimated that within the next century, up to a third of the coastal plains can disappear underwater. Furthermore, saltwater intrusion and storm surges from hurricanes can further harm the land of the Albemarle Peninsula. If Red Wolf habitat is damaged, then the land is no longer feasible for Red Wolf survival, resulting in these animals having to search for a new home that can provide them with an abundance of resources.

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Sadly, the fight for survival by Red Wolves does not end with the threats of habitat loss and climate change. Red Wolves were once hunted due to the government supporting the killing of these canines for predator control. People had the perception that Red Wolves were a threat to livestock and big game, and if Red Wolves were kept under control, the decline of other animal populations would be prevented. Bounty programs were established, giving ranchers and other hunters a cash prize if they provided proof of killing a Red Wolf. Sadly, the practice of hunting Red Wolves eradicated many of these canines from the wild by the early 20th century, leading Red Wolves to be driven towards extinction.

Lastly, vehicle collisions and competition with coyotes also contribute to the population decline of Red Wolves. Surprisingly, Red Wolves can be shy, which causes them to avoid places where they may be confronted with human or predator interaction. These wolves going into less populated areas causes there to be a greater chance of them running into coyotes. When Red Wolf populations are low, these canines need to compete against coyotes for resources including prey, mates, and shelter. A small number of Red Wolf individuals out in the wild can drive these animals to mate with coyotes when they cannot find a mate of their species. Red Wolves hybridizing with coyotes contributes to the genetic dilution and loss of genetic diversity of Red Wolves. Mating with coyotes can cause the introduction of genes that are not adapted to the ecological niche of Red Wolves into the Red Wolf genome. Therefore, there would be a loss of genetically distinct Red Wolf traits.
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Due to all these threats, recovery programs to protect the critically endangered Red Wolves began in 1973. Approximately 38 protection facilities were established for Red Wolves. It was found that Red Wolves lived longer under human care in zoos and other protection facilities, with a 7-year average lifespan in the wild and a 15-year average lifespan in human care. Through the conservation efforts of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association’s Species Survival Plan (SSP), Red Wolves were brought into zoos to breed and then be reintroduced to the wild. Thus, the population status of Red Wolves has been switching between extinction and restoration throughout the past few years. One example of Red Wolves being protected under human care is at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo (CBZ). At the zoo, there are two Red Wolves named Peanut and Taylor. Peanut is an adult male who was born in 2015 and arrived at the zoo in 2018. Taylor is an adult female who was born in 2014 and arrived at the zoo in 2023. There are 43 zoos that are a part of the SSP of Red Wolves, and CBZ is one of those zoos.