Red Wolves Case Study

Every pack of red wolves has its own home range which they hunt in and defend aggressively from other canids. If necessary, red wolves will fight other wolves to defend themselves and their territory (“Red Wolf” nd). Red Wolves are generally shy and secretive and hunt alone or in their packs. They are also nocturnal. Red wolves communicate in a variety of forms including scent marking, vocal sounds like howling, facial expression, and body postures (“Red Wolf” 2017). From the 63 red wolves released in the late 80s/early 90s after they were bred in captivity, the population reached around 120 wolves in 2012. Since then, however, it has declined, and in the 2015, only 50-75 wolves remained (“Causes of mortality in wild red wolves (Canis rufus) 2012–2015”). The red wolf has massive ecological, economic, and cultural value. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it is both an umbrella and a keystone species. As an umbrella species, efforts to conserve the red wolf will also benefit other plants and animals within its habitat. Moreover, the red wolf is an

Thirty years later then we can look at their progression and determine if the action was worth it and if further action to protect the species would also be worth the costs. There is an excellent case to be made for the conservation of the species since it acts as both a keystone and umbrella species for its environment. As previously stated, the red wolf provides numerous ecological, economic, and cultural values. On the other hand, despite the millions of dollars spent and the extensive actions done by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service over the past forty years, the species is again in decline and facing extinction, bringing into question if all the money and effort spent is worth it or if the species can even be