It may be that the arrival of six red wolf pups means the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Red Wolf Recovery Program may yet succeed.
Born sometime last week, the four females and two males are the first pups born to red wolves in the wild since 2018.
The red wolf is generally considered a subspecies of the gray wolf. Smaller than its cousin, at one time the red wolf roamed from Texas to the Eastern Seaboard, but hunting and loss of habitat reduced their number to less than 300 in captivity and a ver small population in Texas by the 1980s.
To save the species, a captive breeding program was started and red wolves were reintroduced into Alligator National National Wildlife Refuge beginning in 1987. The wolves are still struggling to establish themselves with a number of fatalities recorded when the animals are struck by cars.
The birth of the six pups raises hope for the program. Although there is captive breeding occurring at various zoos, the hope is that the species can successfully thrive in the wild again.
At 158,600 (247 square miles) Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is the second largest wildlife refuge on the East Coast. The Okefenokee Swamp is more than twice its size.
Alligator River would seem to be an ideal location for the program. Because there is a large protected area, the wolves should be safe from poaching and should not endanger livestock. With multiple dirt roads through the refuge, though, researchers will have access to the wolves.
The jury is still out though, if the program will work—but the pups do offer hope for the future.
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