Red wolves – Noble spirits

Red wolves - Written by S. Alexandra Talbot 

"Perhaps it was the eyes of the wolf, measured, calm, knowing. Perhaps ... the intense sense of family ... individual personality... their ridiculous sense of fun ... For the native people who lived with the wolves ... there was much to learn from them. Is it any wonder that the myths of many tribes characterize the wolves not as killers but as teachers?"

Perhaps the American Indian was much more knowledgeable and perceptive in their understanding, acceptance, and treatment of wildlife - especially of the wolf - than we allow ourselves to be. They were not threatened by wolves; rather, they respected, admired, and learned from them.

The red wolf is a beautiful noble creature: a denizen that primarily inhabits forests, marshes, and coastal lowlands. They are sleek, and their coats are an array of reddish hues mixed with black, brown, gray, and yellow. Fully-grown males weigh between 60 and 80 pounds and the smaller framed females between 40 and 60 pounds. They are a private breed of wildlife: usually bonded for life when they mate: protective of their own; social within their families but reticent among strangers; furtive; and territorial though they adjust well to new "living quarters." They are basically creatures of the night: and when they hunt they do so individually or as a pack.

Is it so easy for us to accept our existence to the exclusion of such wonders of wildlife - in this particular instance the red wolf? Is it so difficult for us to learn from our past aggressions and thoughtlessness towards these marvelous animals, that we would again risk their survival to indulge our "human advancements" and satisfy the misbegotten outlawed venture of hunting them? Henry Beston said, "Wolves are not our brothers; they are not our subordinates ... They are another nation, caught up just like us in the complex web of time and life." They do not insidiously trespass into our lives, nor do they innately threaten us. We, however, irreverently trespassed into their lives; and with abandon and disregard our actions and contrary lack of actions threatened them to the point of extinction. With literary license, I say that we can be more feral than some wildlife.

Extinct in the wild in1987
In 1973, the red wolf became an endangered species. In 1980 and until 1987, the U.S. Wildlife Service declared the red wolf extinct in the wild. Something immediate and definitive had to be done if we wanted to prevent the total annihilation of these marvelous animals; and, it was during this time, that the blueprint for the Red Wolf Recovery Program was designed, and that the initial step towards implementing this program was finalized. Concentrated efforts were made to find them in the wild and bring them into captivity so that they could breed and eventually no longer be considered endangered let alone extinct. Seventeen red wolves were found by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fourteen of which produced a sufficient number of offspring so that in 1987 four pairs were freed into the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in Manteo, North Carolina, to begin their re-population and gradual re-acclimation into wild and natural surroundings. In the wild, the red wolf can live up to 8 years: in captivity their life expectancy can be up to 15 years.

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge - Home to the Red Wolf. Photo credit USFWS.

1.7 million acres for red wolves
Since the program began, the "safe ground" for the red wolf now encompasses 1.7 million acres - both private and public lands - in the in Dare, Tyrrell, Hyde, Beaufort, and Washington Counties of North Carolina: they comprise the only wildlife preserve acknowledged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that sustains a population of over 100 wild red wolves. The Red Wolf Recovery Program is dedicated to reviving and safeguarding their population; and, in addition to the approximate 100 red wolves living freely in northeastern North Carolina, 150 remain in captivity as part of the program for their breeding.

Magical wolves
Native Americans believed the wolf to be "magical:" Magical because its inherent values of and for self, family, and freedom were - in many ways - a reflection of what was held in such high esteem by Native Americans. And although tribal cultures may have varied, their common folklore held that "The wolf and the Indian once lived in harmony...they hunted together and their spirits touched."

There is undoubtedly much that we can learn from the native ancestors of America, the People of the First Nations. Their innate respect for wildlife and deference to the wolf was an inextricable part of their lives, and sharing the earth with them was deeply rooted in their heritage and legacy. In some ways we are not so different from the Native Americans or the wolf. We are family oriented; we admire individuality; we are social; and we are defenders of home and freedom. But, in other ways we have become quite different in our attitudes, treatment, and disregard for preserving the sanctity of our wildlife in general and the red wolf in particular.

Anthony Miles said, "Wolves may feature in our myths, our history, and our dreams, but they have their own future, their own loves their own dreams to fulfill." Their myths, their history, their dreams may be abstract, elusive, even incomprehensible, to us, but it is our responsibility and it rests with us to safeguard them and enable them to fulfill their dreams and continue to share the earth with us. We would be derelict in our humanity if we did anything less.