American red wolves once ranged from New York to Texas – but after more than 70 years of state-sanctioned hunting, only about 300 individuals remain. Of them, only about 20 live in the wild.
– You were more or less paid if you went out and killed wolves, says Natalie Davis who works with the rescue program and is a curator at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma just south of Seattle.
Get dental care
Wolves in captivity tend to live longer than those living freely.
– It’s because they get annual health and dental examinations. Among red wolves in the wild, we sometimes find knocked-out teeth that can prevent them from eating meat properly, says chief veterinarian Karen Wolf to the Reuters news agency.
The red wolf is the only wolf species found only in the United States.
– In that respect, they should be seen as a national treasure. It is a privilege to be able to take part in caring for them, says Karen Wolf.
Get surrogate parents
To get more out into the wild, they use a method they call “fostering”. This means that a puppy born in captivity is placed in the dens of wild wolves together with puppies of the same age. Then the surrogate parents raise the newcomers together with their own offspring.
In 2023, they have introduced seven red wolves into the wild in nature reserves in North Carolina.