Legend of the Red Wolf

-About Red Wolves-

The Red Wolf's name comes from the color of their coat which can range from reddish brown to gray or even black. Larger than a coyote, but smaller than the Gray Wolf, Red Wolves can weigh from 40 to 75 pounds. They hunt primarily small animals like opossums, squirrels, fish, rabbits or hares, and occasionally deer. They usually hunt in small packs consisting of the two parents and their offspring.

Red Wolves were originally from the Southeast region of the United States. One hundred years ago their habitat ranged from as for North as Pennsylvania and as far west as Central Texas. Red Wolves were hunted because they were considered a threat to livestock. By 1970, the number of Red Wolves had been drastically reduced and the species was on the brink of extinction due to hunting, destruction of their natural habitat and inter-breeding with coyotes.

In 1973, the Red Wolf Recovery Team was formed and began to study the habitat of the animal, which only existed in small numbers along the Gulf Coast of Southeastern Texas and Southwestern Louisiana. By 1980, the species had become extinct in the wild. By 1989 there were a total of 84 Red Wolves living in captive breeding facilities. Today there are about 180 captive pure Red Wolves. Small groups have been reintroduced in the wild in Tennessee, Mississippi, South Caroline, and Florida. These reintroduction programs are important to the success of the species and part of a recovery plan developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

For more information on Red Wolves, go to your local library, or contact your local U.S. Fish and Wildlife office. On the Internet, try the American Zoo Association species survival plan, the The Red Wolf Sanctuary  or the Wild Canid Survival and Research Center. Find out about the reintroduction programs that are returning Red Wolves as well as other endangered species to their natural habitats.