Not So
FUN FACTS
The total red wolf population has decreased 50% since 2012 (Red Wolf Population Plunges, 2016)
FACT #1
The population was steadily growing until 2011, when the wolves started getting killed often by landowners (Red Wolf Population Plunges, 2016)
FACT #2
Red wolves have been officially declared extinct in the wild at least once before in 1980 (Animal Welfare Institution, 2019)
FACT #3
Despite positive trends in the past, the red wolf population is currently decreasing (Red Wolf Population Plunges, 2016)
FACT #4
Red Wolves are the most endangered canid in the world
(Defenders of Wildlife, 2019)
FACT #5
“Conservation scientists have shown that recovering the red wolf is completely achievable and know what steps need to be taken next. Rather than following the science, the red wolf program is in disarray because the Service won’t stand up to this political pressure.” -Brett Hartl, endangered species policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity (Red Wolf Population Plunges, 2016)
FACT #6
By 1970, there were less than one hundred red wolves living in a small area of coastal Texas and Louisiana (Animal Welfare Institute, 2019)
FACT #7
The population declined 27% from 2014 to 2015 (Red Wolf Population Plunges, 2016)
FACT #8
The red wolves have lost 99.7% of their original territory (Defenders of Wildlife, 2019)
FACT #9
The reason why so many wolves are dying is not because of natural competition and/or habitat/biological factors, but because too many are getting shot by humans (Animal Welfare Institute, 2019)