BACKGROUND

The Red Wolf, a smaller and more slender cousin of the timber wolf, originally roamed throughout the eastern United States as far north as Pennsylvania and as far west as central Texas. Like the timber wolf, the red wolf was persecuted relentlessly by farmers, ranchers and hunters who mistakenly believed that this cinnamon-colored wolf posed a threat to livestock and a risk to human safety. Under the guise of "predator control," these small wolves were shot, trapped, poisoned and clubbed to death, until their populations could endure no more. By 1967, the red wolf was considered to be an endangered species, and by 1980 the red wolf was declared officially extinct in the wild.

The Red wolf's name is misleading, as its coat ranges from tawny, cinnamon red, grey or black. At 40 to 80 pounds, it is slightly smaller than the Grey wolf, but larger than the coyote.

The Red wolf formerly ranged over the entire southeastern United States, from the Atlantic Coast to Texas and Oklahoma.

The Red wolf can adapt easily to live in a variety of habitats, but will often avoid agricultural areas.

Their diet is primarily made up of small animals, especially rabbits and hares, raccoons, squirrels, rodents and fish, but it will also hunt deer.

Social Organization:

Unlike the Grey wolf, the Red wolf does not live in packs but more often in pairs or small family groups. Red wolves breed once a year and have litters of two to eight pups.

Pure Red wolves are thought to be extinct in the wild, though Red wolf-coyote hybrids may still be found. It is listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the IUCN Red Data Book. Pure Red wolves are now restricted to small reintroduced groups at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, NC; Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN; Horn Island at Gulf Islands National Seashore, MS; Bull's Island at Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, SC; and St. Vincent's Island National Wildlife Refuge, FL.

Three problems reduced the Red wolf population-- hunting of the wolves as a livestock predator, destruction of its habitat through logging and agriculture, and hybridization with coyotes. As the wolf has retreated, the coyote has expanded its range to fill the Red wolf's predatory role.

The Red wolf is the first SSP to be combined with a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Recovery Plan. All of the Red wolves in the program are owned by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and are loaned under a special permit for breeding. It was decided that the only way to save the Red wolf was to capture the remaining pure wild stock and establish a captive breeding program. There are currently about 180 captive and 55-60 free ranging Red wolves, up from 14 wild-caught wolves in 1984.

The SSP and reintroduction programs are part of the Recovery Plan for the Red wolf administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Generating local support for Red wolf reintroduction is crucial to the success of the program. Meetings with area residents, hunters, livestock owners, state and local agencies help to dispel any fears, address concerns and produce enthusiasm for the project.

The goal of the reintroduction program is to establish several viable populations of Red wolves in select areas of their historic range. Prior to release the wolves are acclimated at the release site and gradually weaned from a daily diet of commercial dog food to twice weekly meat feedings. The wolves are then processed (vaccinated, wormed, blood drawn, weighed), fitted with a radio collar and released. Approximately 70% of the free-ranging Red wolves inhabiting the mainland reintroduction sites have been born in the wild.

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Created: 6/8/97 Updated: 4/27/98