The red wolf, only found in the United States, once numbered about one million, but now there are maybe 20 alive in the wild. That's according to Regina Mossotti at the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka.
On May 1, Mossotti flew with four red wolves from Eureka to a protected refuge in North Carolina where they joined four red wolf pups from the Akron Zoo. The collaboration with U.S. Fish and Wildlife is the first time since 1998 that adult American red wolves were released directly into this recovery area of Eastern North Carolina from managed care facilities.
Hear Debbie Monterrey's interview with Regina Mossotti:
"The red wolf is critically endangered," explains Mossotti. "It's about as close to extinction as it can get."
Unfortunately, wolves have been killed off as people see them as a threat to livestock and people.
"Think about what we've grown up with," says Mossotti. "Little Red Riding Hood. The three little pigs. Werewolves. Everything you see on TV always makes it look like wolves are these bad guys, and big and scary."
She says wolves actually are very shy and run away from people.
She says this work is not just about helping the wolves, but the whole ecosystem. Wolves are a keystone species, making ecosystems healthier by keeping everything in balance.
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