Red Wolf Is Left On The Brink Of Extinction With Fewer Than 20 Left In The Wild
Red wolves are among the rarest predators in North America, and their numbers have fallen so low that every remaining animal matters. Once pushed to the edge by habitat loss and hunting, the species has struggled to recover for decades.
That history makes the current situation especially grim, because fewer than 20 red wolves are believed to be living in the wild. Conservation efforts have helped before, but the same threats keep showing up again.
Now the question is whether this endangered wolf can avoid disappearing for good.
The red wolves are now facing extinction again
As of 2021, there is an estimate of fewer than 20 red wolves remaining in the wild, all of which live in the same area of North Carolina. However, back in 1980, these creatures were actually declared extinct.
They suffered at the hands of humans
Much like their gray wolf cousins, red wolves have suffered a significant decline in their population due to human actions. However, red wolves have suffered even more.
In 1980, in an effort to prevent the species from going completely extinct, the last surviving red wolves were captured and placed in a breeding program designed to help their population thrive again.
Fortunately, it was a success.
And speaking of rare survival, check out the newborn red wolf pups that just boosted the largest known pack.
They recovered from the brink of extinction once
Seven years after the start of the program, eight red wolves—four males and four females—were released back into the wild in North Carolina. From then until 2006, their population grew and reached over 130 individuals.
However, they faced another steep decline in their numbers after that.
The red wolf program crashed
“The red wolf program has almost entirely crumbled since I’ve been working here,” Heather Clarkson from the Defenders of Wildlife told The Guardian. “It took nearly 20 years to get the program to a strong place; that’s the really sad part because now it’s crashed.”
Now, the wolves are facing the same fate again
Now, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the species as critically endangered again, with fewer than 20 wolves remaining in the wild. Despite this, there is still hope for these beautiful creatures.
People are working to get their population flourishing again
“Our goal is to work together to establish an implementation plan,” John Tirpak from the Fish and Wildlife Service told National Geographic. “We really need to reach jointly established recovery goals for the red wolf.”
They're not just making great efforts to rehabilitate the wolves' numbers but also to help them thrive in the wild.
The red wolf is only one of the creatures that have been pushed to the brink of extinction because of human actions. There are many more beautiful creatures out there facing the same cruel fate, and they need our help to survive and thrive.
Without our action, we may continue losing one species after another until there's nothing left in the wild.
Want a comeback story next? Read how the Mexican wolf fought back from extinction.
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