Success: Endangered Wolves Allowed to Remain Wild

Target: Judge Terrence W. Boyle, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina

Goal:  Applaud judge who prevented endangered wolves from being legally shot on private property and protected them from being forcibly removed from their territory.

A judge barred a move by the U .S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove wolves from the wild and to issue permits to farmers and landowners to kill wolves that wander onto their property. This move would have confined what remains of the wild red wolf population into zoos. This was made possible by wildlife organizations and by petitions like this one signed by ForceChange activists.

Conservation efforts for red wolf are not going well. The number of wild wolves is currently estimated to be down to 45; in 2006 there were around 130. The U .S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed a new plan to substantially reduce the territory of the red wolf. Reducing the area in which the wolves are allowed to roam would only worsen the situation. According to The Associated Press, Ron Sutherland, a scientist who studied the wolves called the proposed new territory, “a glorified holding pen for a handful of red wolves.” Sutherland estimated that the space would hold up to 15 wolves.

This plan was justified by the fact that the government had planned to increase the number in their captive population to around 200. There is fear that captive population may not be secure. If the captive population fails then the wild population is essential for continuing the species, making this news vital to the survival of the red wolf.

In 1980 the red wolf was considered extinct in the wild, but through the work of conservationists they made a partial comeback. This plan would have critically hurt the progress that the species has made. These animals deserve to live freely in the wild without being threatened by the human world. Thanks to the ruling of Judge Terrence W. Boyle these wolves now have the chance to continue to live without being hunted in the wild.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Justice Boyle,

I want to thank you for ruling in favor of protecting the small red wolf population in North Carolina. It is wrong to force these endangered wolves into such a small territory, and to punish them with captivity for leaving the limits of this area. The wild red wolf population has dramatically dropped to around 45. This plan threatened to lower that number further.

This plan has been justified by the fact that the government plans to increase the number of their captive population to around 200. Captive populations are a risky way to maintain a species. If the program fails, and there are no wild wolves left, then the species might altogether disappear.

Thanks to your actions, the wild red wolf can be preserved for future generations and this endangered animal can continue to roam free and unharmed. I want to commend you for standing up against the U .S. Fish and Wildlife Service and protecting this vulnerable animal from being killed or caged.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Hillebrand Steve