Saturday, January 24, 2015

Heroes of the wolves! Red Wolf Coalition!

Heroes of the wolves

The third in a series of articles about Wolf Centers and Preserves across North America



 Today marks a return to the Heroes of the wolves series, and with so much in the news today about the red wolves of the Southeast United States, it only makes sense that I would chose the Red Wolf Coalition of North Carolina. They are on the front lines of fighting the propaganda against the species and the battle to educate the adults and more important, the children of the future generations to respect and co-exist with these amazing creatures.

 For those who are not aware, the red wolf population has been under attack with several shot and found dead in and around the protected habitat. The population is dwindling under 100 in the wild and in a stretch between Oct and Nov in 2013, 7 were found killed. This is a tragic and horrible way for the majestic red wolves to have to survive. 

 I was able to interview the Red Wolf Coalition's very own executive director Kim Wheeler to find out how they are helping to continue the success of the SSP of the red wolf. Here's what she had to say.


#1- Can you explain the purpose of the Red Wolf Coalition and why you originally started?  

-The Coalition was started in 1998 by one of the red wolf field biologists that saw a need for an NGO to aid Red wolf education and outreach.  Our mission is to advocate for the long term survival of red wolf populations by teaching about the red wolf and by fostering public involvement in red wolf conservation.

 #2- For those that donate to the Red Wolf Coalition, can you explain where that money goes and how it helps?

-The Coalition is a 501 (c )3 non-profit organization.  Donations received are used tofulfill a number objectives.  Those are educational, operational and on the ground support objectives. 

#3- What is your involvement in the USWS Wolf Recovery program, and in particular the Species Survival program for wolves?  

-The Coalition has a MOA with the USFWS to conduct education programs at the Red Wolf Education Center in Columbia, NC.  This location is a SSP location, so that is our involvement.

#4- What is your views on the current struggle with Congress over federal protection? 

-The debate about wolves currently is very centered on gray wolf protections.  That debate would take a lot of time to lay out and I am not as well versed on that subject matter to give you a condensed answer for your article.

#5- What is the RWC's long term goals? 

-To advocate for the long term survival of red wolves. 

#6- What is your daily routine like being the Executive Director?  

-Every day is different.  I am the only paid staff, so I do everything from clean the office to give presentations locally and throughout the state and US.  Some days are office days to keep the organization running and then the next day I may be at the REC all day giving programs.  I also Skype into classrooms across the country. 

#7- Do you feel enough is done to protect the small population of red wolfs we have left? 

-No.  Our country is at a crossroads in deciding the importance of wildlife and more importantly endangered species.  I recognize that we are in difficult economic times, but the answer is not to give up on species that our government pledged to recover through the Endangered Species Act just because we think the money should be spent elsewhere.  The American people asked Congress to set up an organization to manage and protect valuable land and wildlife in our country.  The US Fish & Wildlife was given that task and should continue to uphold their obligations. 



The Red Wolf Coalition is truly a Hero of the Wolf and you can help them continue to be on the fore front by donating, sharing the news, and following and liking their Facebook and twitter which you can find at the bottom of this article.

Red Wolf Coalition Social Media- Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/redwolfcoalition
                                                        Twitter- https://twitter.com/RedWolfCoalitn

I want to give a big thanks to Kim Wheeler for taking the time to do this! Stay tuned for more Heroes of the wolves!


Sunday, January 11, 2015

Walking one paw at a time!


An Article regarding wolf paw anatomy

Hello there fellow wolf supporters and conservationists! I'm back from a rather long break from the scene as I started a rather important position at my work and also suffered the loss of 3 grandparents in 12 months. So without further delay, I wanted to jump back in the saddle and let you know I will be delivering content on a weekly basis from this point on, starting now.

Today's topic is the anatomy of the wolf paw and hopefully a few facts that most of us are unaware of!


Wolves are digitigrades which is an animal that stands or walks on its digits (or toes).The wolf's foot consists of five toes on the front of their foot and four toes on the back paws. The claws, other than the most obvious of function act as traction when going over slippery surfaces such as frozen lakes and wet muddy ground. The paw itself has fleshy pads on the base which also helps with the traction and the toes which are partly webbed can actually spread out and act like snowshoes in deep snow and also assist with swimming when needed.

The wolf can run just about 30-35 mph and is known to travel distances up to 18 miles in a trot. Wolves tend to patrol territory for other pack intrusion and also to look for prey. They have scent glands located between the toes that leave chemical markers behind for navigation as well as marking their land.

Here is an amazing video from Wolf Center's Sanctuary in Winchester Idaho:


Pretty amazing huh? 

Well the next article in line will be on the elusive Iberian wolves of Portuagal/Spain. So until next time, stay frosty!