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The Red Wolf (Canis Rufus), is a size between the coyote and gray wolf, 50-80 lbs. The young, dangerously resemble coyotes. The cinnamon color mixed with the common canid coloring varies among individuals. Originally native to the eastern forests of North America, and well established as a top predator throughout the southeast, they are now listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. They face an imminent threat of extinction, existing only in the National Refuges where released, and in captivity. More than half of them live in captivity. By 1970 there were fewer than 100 left in the wild due to aggressive predator-control programs, the usual habitat destruction and the not so usual hybridization with coyotes, (a suspected effect of their dramatic decline). By 1980 they were declared functionally extinct in the wild as the last one was captured in an attempt to save the species for later release. In 1987 a successful reintroduction program began in northeastern North Carolina, only to have most of them illegally shot. Currently their numbers are slowly rising with an aggressive preservation effort in 42 captive breeding facilities, but we all need more habitat.
