The Red Wolf almost vanished from wilderness due to habitat loss and because they were killed for being a beast that attacked domesticated animals and humans. Recent efforts to return them to the wilderness have helped to slowly bring their numbers back.
Body length: 95-120 cm
Tail length: 25-35 cm
Weight: 18-41 kg
(Source: Doubutsu Sekai-isan* Red Data Animals Kodansha) (*World Animal Heritage)
There used to be a broad population of Red Wolf living in the southern part of the United States. Today, the only ones in existence are those in sanctuaries in North Carolina.
They like to eat small animals like rats and rabbits. The Red Wolf has also been known to occasionally attack large animals such as deers and boars. They also eat crabs, insects, and carcass meat.
The Red Wolf looks like a coyote except for its larger build. They live in families, or packs, and display excellent teamwork, working together with other wolves to hunt and to raise their offspring.
Red Wolves are always the bad guy?!
In fairy tales, wolves are always the bad guy. They have always been portrayed as a scary, ferocious animal. Ever since Europeans came to the North American continent, people would kill the Red Wolf for being a beast that attacked domesticated animals and humans. Meanwhile, as the population grew, they lost their habitat because people started converting forests and prairies into farmlands and grasslands.
Vanished from the wilderness...
On top of all that, deforestation forced the Red Wolf to live with coyotes. This, in turn, led to mix-bred offspring that would further reduce the population of pure-bred Red Wolves. By 1970, the Red Wolf had vanished from the wilderness. Fortunately, artificial breeding efforts to increase their number and return them to wilderness have been successful. Slowly but surely, their numbers are increasing.
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