Agreement protects endangered red wolves

A settlement between SELC and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will protect the endangered red wolf from the ravages of nighttime hunting of coyotes in the Red Wolf Recovery Area. Because coyotes look remarkably like red wolves, coyote hunting has led to serious losses in a population numbering only around 100 animals.

The red wolf, once common throughout the Southeast, was driven to near complete disappearance by the mid-20th century and declared extinct in the wild in 1980, but the species began a slow but successful recovery in the wild after reintroduction in 1987. Over the years, SELC attorneys have helped defend the red wolf from a variety of threats. The recent agreement is the first step to making permanent an important provision of a preliminary injunction SELC previously won in court.