USFWS Poised to Turn Its Back On Red Wolf Recovery
Last month the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced that it will be conducting a review of the North Carolina red wolf population. The evaluation, which will be completed by October 10, 2014, will be peer reviewed and then used to help the Service determine if it will continue, modify, or END the program that manages the last remaining wild red wolves on our planet!
USFWS is seeking public input and the comment period will remain open through September 26, 2014. Comments are accepted at redwolfreview@fws.gov, and via postal mail: 1875 Century Blvd., Suite 200, Atlanta, Ga., 30345, marked “Attention: Red Wolf Evaluation.”
The value and importance of conserving species and ensuring biodiversity is an accepted axiom of the 21st century. The importance of a keystone predator such as the red wolf to a balanced and resilient ecosystem is undeniable. That our policies should be motivated by these basic scientific principles is a must.
Wildlife and other natural resources are a public trust. The public trust is a legal concept that implies that we all share equal, undivided interests in America’s wildlife. Thus, decision-making and resulting wildlife policy should be developed based on sound science and carried out in a democratic manner responsive to the voice of ALL people.
As a participant in the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP), the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) has played a critical role in preventing the extinction of the red wolf through captive breeding and supporting the Alligator River reintroduction project by producing the wolves for reintroduction. The WCC is committed to the recovery of this rare wolf, and found it necessary to send members of our team to North Carolina to speak in support of red wolf recovery at last week’s review hearing. The WCC expressed support for continuing the red wolf recovery program in North Carolina and encouraged additional efforts to restore red wolves to portions of their former range.
For more information about the nature and controversy surrounding this review please click here. (Note: comment period has been extended since this article was published).
Learn more about the the red wolf via the WCC video below.