Captive red wolf, (c) FWS Red Wolf Recovery Program
Last week I had an interesting Twitter conversation with a young woman from the western Great Lakes area, Christine Wickham. I knew from our previous exchanges that she’s highly interested in gray wolf conservation, and that she’s been pretty upset by the sanctioned wolf hunts in her home state of Michigan. So I wasn’t too surprised when she replied to a tweet that I sent out that read, “Disappointing that national conversation on wolf conservation has yet to include the crisis red wolves face.” She replied to me wanting to know why this is, and I told her I’ve been contemplating this exact question for the past four or more years.
Why is it that red wolves are so unloved and unsupported by conservationists? Jan DeBlieu put it best when she wrote:
If wolves are animals of savage and demonic qualities, as myth and folklore portray them, then red wolves have been doubly damned. They are despised, on the one hand, by people who think of wolves as bloodthirsty and sinister, yet they are often overlooked by those who might be expected to rush to their defense. (Meant to Be Wild, 1993)
This quote spoke to me on so many different levels, that I placed it at the beginning of Part I of my book, The Secret World of Red Wolves. Christine’s question embodies the reaction most people have when they first learn of red wolves and their tragic conservation story. So I tweeted a few of my ideas as to why Canis rufus remains so underserved by the conservation community, and so abused by governmental policies that should be protecting them from extinction. Without further ado, here are my tweets:
(1) People get confused because of their ability to hybridize with coyotes, think they are not a “real” species.
(2) Because of this confusion over species status, conservation groups and leaders have lost interest.
(3) Conservation groups’ loss of interest in them leads to loss of exposure/education to the general public.
(4) Some believe bc of the hybridization issues, they can never be recovered, that they are “too far gone.” Too much trouble.
(5) Fish and Wildlife Service, at higher levels, has historically underplayed the program because of fear of failure.
(6) They don’t fit our cultural idea of what a wolf should be: they are smaller, not as aggressive = less charismatic.
(7) State of NC has never embraced the program, has even worked against it, so very little political will to recover them.
(8) ESA listing status was conferred to provide flexibility in recovery, but has produced weak state and federal protections
Wild Muse 
9 thoughts on “Tweeting for red wolves”
Cornelia Hutt
So, so true and so timely. I have posted this on the Red Wolf Coalition Facebook page, and the National Wolfwatcher Coalition will post it also. The red wolf is long overdue for Prime Time. That is slowly beginning to happen, and public awareness and support are increasing. We can only hope it’s not too late for these resilient animals that have survived in spite of everything that in their recent history that should have spelled extinction. The Red Wolf Coalition is committed to ensuring that wild red wolves remain on the landscape, even if their numbers are limited. Thanks to DeLene for being a big part of the effort to save them.
Janet Hoben
Thank you so much for this DeLene. I was following it on Twitter. Red Wolves are not “second class” wolves and as the Southeast Regional Director for the National Wolfwatcher Coalition we pledge to do all we can to help educate people about red wolves. This is a partnership and I an honored to be a part of it.
Susanne Findeiß
I sich I could read it in german :-) I love wolves and read everything ab out them to teach the children in School :-)
Macrobe
It doesn’t help that the taxonomical assignment of the red wolf is still debated (in fact, controversial) amongst biologists and geneticists. Many biologists/geneticists continue to subscribe to the theory that the red wolf is in fact a ‘floating’ hybrid between the wolf and coyote. Can’t say I disagree, either. Their classification remains a ‘gray’ area ;)
DeLene
If you are interested, I authored a chapter on red wolf origins in my book: http://www.uncpress.unc.edu/browse/book_detail?title_id=3245.
Macrobe
Thank you! I just ordered your book. As a field and molecular biologist (now retired), I’ve been following this controversy for two decades. Advances in genetic analysis should hopefully shed more conclusive light on this issue. Who knows, we might have a few still lurking in places where they and other wild canid species are considered ‘extinct’ or extirpated ;) (We have evidence of Mexican wolves where I now live and which the ‘authorities’ dismiss).
Enjoyed your post.
DeLene
I hope it doesn’t disappoint. The interesting twist here is that genetics studies have produced two very different story lines as to how the red wolf may have arisen. Enjoy!
Bob Pendergrass
Looking forward to reading your book. I hope to start it tonight. Should have read it a long time ago. I am involved with one of the SSP facilities for Red wolves. The current controversy here is quite interesting. I noticed that you have had some posts on coywolves and later written this book. Both are fascinating to me. Would be interested at some point to converse if you have the time.
DeLene
Which SSP do you work with? You can find my email under the “About me” tab on this site.