Red Wolf News

January - April 1999

Published by:

US Fish and Wildlife Service

Red Wolf Recovery Program 

PO Box 1969

Manteo, North Carolina

27954

Volume I, Issue 1

May 20, 1999

Welcome to Our New Update System !

I

n favor of simplifying our reporting system, we are in

the process of changing from monthly to quarterly

program reports. While the basic concept will be a

quarterly reporting system, the time period covered

will be modified at times to provide timely reporting of

significant issues and activities. Such is the case with this

first report which covers four months.

Northeastern North Carolina

There are currently about 75 to 80 red wolves free-ranging in the wild.

All but one of those wolves were born and raised in the wild. 

Red wolves reside over about 1 million acres that includes three

National Wildlife Refuges, a Department of Defense bombing range,

some state lands, and private property.

There are 10-15 breeding pairs or packs in the recovery area. Pack

territories vary greatly (17 to 87 square miles) but average 47 square

miles. Pup production estimates for the 1999 denning season will be

in the next report. 

Since the program began in September 1987, two wolf depredations

have been confirmed. Most complaints are reports of unwanted wolf

presence or depredations that do not involve wolves.

 

Significance of Red Wolf/Coyote

Hybridization Issue Confirmed

A red wolf meeting and workshop took place April 13 through 16 in

Virginia Beach, Virginia with 44 experts from across the Nation and

Canada in attendance. The workshop was facilitated by the World

Conservation Union’s Conservation Breeding Specialist Group of

Minneapolis, Minnesota and sponsored by the US Fish and Wildlife

Service (Service.) 

Brian Kelly, Red Wolf Coordinator of Field Projects, presented current

red wolf/coyote hybridization data from the project in northeastern

North Carolina. Since the inception of the program in 1987, 11 hybrid

litters have been born in the wild; 6 litters were known hybrid and 5

were suspected. About 53 wolf litters have been born. 

Several aspects of the program were initially discussed at

the workshop: future site selection, hybridization,

monitoring, captive breeding, and computer modeling.

However, after the first day’s session, it was determined that

the red wolf/coyote hybridization issue could not be

separated from the other aspects of management and that the

entire meeting should focus on that issue. In addition, one

population model revealed that if the 11 hybrid litters had

not been removed from the population, the red wolf in

northeastern North Carolina would be unrecognizable as

such due to interbreeding with coyotes in as few as 3 to 6

generations or 12 to 24 years. The Service has known that

hybridization represents a threat to recovery, what is not

known is if hybridization will prevent the recovery of the

red wolf. 

Wolf/coyote hybridization also represents a threat to the

gray wolf population in Algonquin Park in Ontario Canada.

We were very fortunate to have experts from that project at

the meeting. 

Management plans were discussed that focused on not just

managing hybridization, but understanding it. The group

concluded that efforts should be made to increase the wolf

population and that the wolf/coyote interaction study

currently in place should continue and expand.

The Workshop Statement, endorsed by all participants,

reads, ”The Red Wolf Recovery Program has had significant

successes over its history, including but not limited to

perpetuation of the red wolf genome in captivity, third

generation wild pups, and a population distributed over one

million acres. It is vital to perpetuate this success. 

However, hybridization in the free-ranging population has

been recognized as a serious threat to the continued success

of this landmark program. Because of this threat, our

primary recovery focus must be protecting and promoting

the growth of a self-sustaining, non-hybridizing population

of red wolves in the wild and sustaining an active captive

component. Actions to be taken will use an adaptive

management approach that will not compromise the ability

to achieve this goal.” 
2 Red Wolf News January through April 1999

So what does this mean to the Red Wolf Program? The Recovery

Goals call for a minimum of 220 wolves in the wild in at least 3

mainland reintroduction settings. With the cancellation of the Great

Smoky Mountain National Park Red Wolf Project in October 1998,

northeastern North Carolina is the single mainland project. 

Pursuit of another site has been halted until the Service gains enough

knowledge to determine whether the red wolf can maintain it’s

genetic integrity in the wild. If not, red wolf recovery will likely be

limited to island situations where coyotes do not exist. However, the

Service will not make any such decision until the hybridization issue

is better understood. Until that time, it is important to remember that

hybridization is not unique to the red wolf and that the Service’s red

wolf restoration efforts have resulted in a situation that will permit

a better understanding of the hybridization process in other small

populations of canids. As illustrated by the workshop statement

presented above, the red wolf program has been very successful for

many reasons. A better understanding of hybridization will likely be

another contribution the red wolf program will make to species

conservation worldwide.

List of Attendees

Dr. George Amato, Bronx Zoo, Geneticist

Ed Bangs, USFWS, Gray Wolf Recovery Coordinator

Dr. Karen Beck, NC State University, DVM

Gloria Bell, USFWS, Regional Office

Art Beyer, USFWS, Red Wolf Biologist

Mike Bryant, USFWS, Project Leader, Alligator River NWR

Dr. Onnie Byers, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group

Mike Chamberlain, Mississippi State University, Predator Expert

Brian Cole, USFWS, Ecological Services

Nina Fascione, Defenders of Wildlife, Wolf Coordinator

Dave Flemming, USFWS, Regional Office

Randy Fulk, NC Zoo, Conservation Breeding Specialist

Dr. Todd Fuller, University of Massachusetts, Wolf Expert

Dr. Eric Geese, Utah State University, Coyote and Wolf Expert

Jennifer Gilbreath, USFWS, Red Wolf Biologist

Dr. Karen Goodrowe, Toronto Zoo, Reproductive Physiologist

Jack Grisham, Oklahoma City Zoo, Director of Animal Management

Mary Hagedorn, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group

Dr. Phil Hedrick, Arizona State University, Geneticist

Gary Henry, USFWS, Red Wolf Coordinator

Kathy Holzer, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group

Brian Kelly, USFWS, Red Wolf Field Coordinator

Mitch King, USFWS, Geographic Assistant Regional Director, Area II

Dr. Fred Knowlton, Utah State University, Coyote Expert

Dr. Sue Lindsay, Wild Canid Survival and Research Center, Director 

Chris Lucash, USFWS, Red Wolf Biologist

Ford Mauney, USFWS, Red Wolf Technician 

Scott McLellan, USFWS, Red Wolf Technician 

Dr. Dave Mech, USGS, Wolf Expert 

Dr. Phil Miller, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group

Michael Morse, USFWS, Red Wolf Biologist

Dr. Dennis Murray, University of Idaho, Predator Expert

Dr. Ron Nowak, Taxonomic Expert

Mike Phillips, Turner Endangered Species Fund, Wolf Expert

Dr. Ulie Seal, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group 

Dr. Doug Smith, NPS, Wolf Expert

Dr. Michael Stoskopf, NC State University, DVM and Genetics Expert 

Dr. John Theberge, University of Waterloo, Wolf Expert

Mary Theberge, Algonquin Park, Wolf Expert

Will Waddell, Point Defiance Zoo, Red Wolf Captive Breeding Coordinator

Dr. Robert Wayne, University of California, Geneticist

Kathy Whidbee, USFWS, Red Wolf Administration 

Aubrey White, Red Wolf Coalition, Executive Director

Paul Wilson, Trent University, Geneticist 

Island Projects and Captive Breeding

Facilities

There was no scheduled breeding on island projects in the red

wolf program for the 1999 breeding season. 

Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge in South Carolina

currently has three wolves residing on Bull’s Island, one

component of that refuge. 

St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge in Florida currently has

two known wolves residing on the island.

Cape St. George Island in Florida currently has one wolf on

the island.

There are 164 wolves in captivity at 33 breeding facilities

across the nation. 

More News

Summer Howling Safari Schedule for 1999 is every

Wednesday June 9 through August 18. For more information,

please access the following website and request a Howling Safari

schedule: alligator-river@outer-banks.com . 

Are you a biology student interested in gaining red wolf and

other Service work experience ? Our intern program hosts one

individual for about three months at a time; the work can be hard

and the living quarters are remote. Write Scott McLellan, Red

Wolf Technician, Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge 3255

Shore Drive Creswell, North Carolina 27928 or email at

Scott_McLellan@fws.gov. The next opening is November 1

1999 through January 2000. 

 Please see the following websites for more red wolf

information: www.outer-banks.com/alligator-river

and www.wolf.org More websites will be available

soon ! 

This newsletter is a publication of the US Fish and

Wildlife Service. Comments or questions can be

addressed to:

Jennifer Gilbreath

Wildlife Biologist and Outreach Coordinator

Red Wolf Recovery

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge

PO Box 1969

Manteo, North Carolina 27954

email: Jennifer_Gilbreath@fws.gov