Red Wolves: Fighting For Survival
- Wild World Pets
- Jan 27, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 30, 2021
The red wolf is the world's most endangered wolf, with a population in the wild of about 20 individuals. Red wolves are native to Southeastern United States and used to roam the entire area from Texas down to Florida and across the whole Midwest and East Coast. Now, wild red wolves are found only in eastern North Carolina on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. There are about 245 maintained in captivity across the United States.
Red wolves are known for the red color on their ears, heads, and legs. They can weigh between 45 and 85 pounds, can stand as tall as 26 inches, and can grow as long as 4 feet from the end of the nose to the end of the tail. These wolves are often mistaken for coyotes despite their much larger size.
Photo by Paolo Silvestri on Unsplash
Red wolves are carnivores, meaning they only eat meat. They typically eat 2 to 5 pounds of food a day. Depending on the type of prey available, they can eat various sizes of mammals from deer to smaller mammals like raccoons, rabbits, and rodents. If food is scarce in their environment, they can travel 20 miles or more in a day to find food.
Red wolves are very social and travel in packs that typically range from 5 to 8 wolves. There are two breeding mates in each pack and the rest are offspring from the mates. Mating season occurs once a year in February. Red wolves usually mate for life and stay together in the pack. Each pack survives together and defends their marked territory from predators and other wolves.
Humans are the biggest threats to red wolves. Destruction of their habitats along with hunting have caused the red wolf population to significantly decline. Climate change also contributes to the destruction of their homes.
HOW TO HELP RED WOLVES
1. Spread awareness
By educating others on the endangerment of red wolves, more people will be inspired to protect these beautiful animals. Make sure to share this with friends and family to get the word out that this species needs our help!
2. Contact your federal representatives
Look up the contact information by clicking here. Politely discuss the importance of preserving the red wolf species and encourage them to speak up about it in the government. You can also leave comments on government social media pages encouraging them to protect red wolves. Make sure to always be polite, as kindness allows for better listening!
3. Support red wolf organizations
The Red Wolf Coalition is dedicated to saving the red wolf species. To learn more about the organization and participate, click here.
You can also be sure to visit zoos that are accredited for properly maintaining red wolves. By clicking here, you can access all the facilities (including zoos and wildlife centers) that protect red wolves in captivity.
4. Contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Contact these organizations and voicing your support for the preservation of red wolves!
5. Coexist
For those who live in areas with red wolves, practice coexisting techniques. Drive safely and do not hunt.
6. Stay on the look out for the River the Red Wolf Pet package coming soon!
For more ways on how to help red wolves, click on the links below:
Thank you for doing your part in saving these incredible animals.
-Wild World Pets
Photo by Hillebrand Steve, USFWS on Pixnio
Sources:
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Defenders of Wildlife
National Wildlife Federation
National Geographic
Wolf Conservation Center
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