Red wolves in peril: Suit aims to push feds to do more to save them
Environmental groups are suing the federal government over what they say is a lack of protections for the endangered red wolf.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, says the agency is not doing enough to try to restore the red wolf population.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal agency responsible for executing the Endangered Species Act, ruled Wednesday that the population in the eastern United States is non-essential to the survival of the species.
“It’s absurd for the Fish and Wildlife Service to conclude that the world’s last wild population of red wolves isn’t essential,” said Perrin de Jong, staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s time for the agency to acknowledge that this persecuted population of endangered wolves is an irreplaceable part of Southeastern ecosystems. These severely imperiled animals deserve the highest level of protection.”
A total of 235 red wolves now live in preserves, where once the species ranged from New York to Texas and throughout much of Florida.
Red wolves one of the rarest mammals in America
De Jong said the FWS should be trying to establish more red wolf populations across its former territory.
Red wolves (Canis rufus) were first listed on the ESA in 1973, which is also the last year one was documented in Florida. At that time, red wolves were only found in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.
The species was considered extinct in 1980, according to FWS records.
“The agency must follow the letter and spirit of the Endangered Species Act and start treating red wolves with the utmost level of care,” de Jong said.
Oct. 4 was also the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act.
“The final revised plan underscores the Service’s commitment to working with others to conserve the red wolf while also maintaining a rural way of life by working farms and ranches,” said FWS director Martha Williams. “Successful recovery requires collaboration with all who are involved and interested in red wolf recovery, including continued transparent engagement with the community to facilitate a coexistence between people and red wolves.”
About red wolves
Weighing up to 80 pounds, red wolves are larger than coyotes but smaller than gray wolves, and they are protected by federal laws.
Red wolves have tall, pointy ears and long, slender legs.
Their coats are mostly gray, but they have a reddish coloring on the ears, head and legs.
Red wolves typically live in packs of five to eight, and they’re very social animals with tight-knit relationships, according to FWS.
They live up to 14 years in the wild, and these territorial hunters will even defend their range from other, larger wolves. They’re most active at dusk and dawn and are typically wary of any human activity.
A red wolf was shot and killed in Washington County, NC earlier this year, and FWS is still investigating that case.
Adults and pups have been released in recent years at places like St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge in Florida and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina, and FWS plans to fit all the pups with collars in 2024.
“The Service is working toward a future where red wolves coexist with humans in multiple wild, free and viable populations across the historic range where threats are managed through conservation activities, alignment of conservation policy, and public trust and community engagement,” an FWS press release states.
Florida gas prices have hit $3.48 a gallon, the lowest price at the pump the state has seen since July 24. But war in the Mideast has become the latest wild card.
The state’s daily gas prices continue to fluctuate, but the brief increase of 4 cents per gallon last week was erased, making nearly a 12-cent difference in Florida’s gas prices from last week to this week.
“Gas prices are moving lower, even as the price of oil remains near 2023 highs,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA - The Auto Club Group.
The average gas price in Florida reached a high price point of $3.60 a gallon just last week but Florida’s average gas prices have declined 20 cents per gallon over the past two weeks.
“Gasoline futures logged a secondconsecutive 18-cent drop, which should signal another round of falling prices at the pump this week,” Jenkins stated in a release. The opposite can be said for oil prices. They have already begun to increase over the weekend due to the uncertainty of global supplies because of Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel.
There has not been a direct impact on global supplies because of these attacks yet, but the uncertainty has already generated a four percent price increase. Oil prices by the barrel are still under the $90 price point, which is in line with previous weeks.
“It’s unclear exactly how much of an impact the attack on Israel will have on gas prices,” according to the AAA.
At a glance
– West Palm Beach-Boca Raton ($3.66), Naples ($3.57), Port St. Lucie ($3.53)
hhPensacola ($3.25), Crestview-Fort Walton Beach ($3.27), Panama City ($3.36)
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