rsg_book_2013

Mammalslegislation to protect the species. Decades of successful restoration activitiesand the unfulfilled prophecies of the wolf’s devastating impact on the localwildlife or livelihoods has assisted in furthering the positive change in attitudes.But localized animosity toward the red wolf still exists in landowners and landmanagers that see the wolf as an ecological competitor despite the increasingrecognition of red wolves as ecologically important. The red wolf continues tobe persecuted, requiring additional management interactions to maintain thered wolf population. Adaptive management techniques: Adaptive management techniques haveshown that sterilization is a method that allows territorial space to be held untilthat animal can be replaced naturally or by additional management actions.Sterile or “placeholder” coyotes are then naturally replaced when the larger redwolves displace or kill the coyote. Ongoing analyses suggest that red wolvesalways win over coyotes in the battle of territorial disputes, whethermanagement actions were taken or not to remove a coyote. Preliminary dataanalyses show no instances of a coyote successfully defending a territoryagainst a red wolf. Space is limited in the re-introduction area. Ideally, withinthe re-introduced red wolf population in NENC, that space is initially bestoccupied by breeding pairs of red wolves, non-breeding mixed (red wolf/coyote) pairs, and non-breeding coyote pairs. By sterilizing coyotes,introgression of non-wolf genes will be controlled and territories will beunavailable for colonization by breeding coyote pairs or breeding red wolfcoyotepairs. In addition to the ~65+ radio-collared red wolves, there are also~60+ sterilized, radio-collared coyotes regularly monitored. As the red wolfpopulation grows, having space available for dispersing red wolves willbecome increasingly important, and this space will be provided through naturalinterspecific competition and/or management actions. Persistence and patience: Coyote expansion and the threat of hybridizationand genetic swamping of the small remnant red wolf populations ultimatelylead to an abandonment of the attempt to preserve the red wolf in the wild inthe late-1960s. When planned extirpation of the wild red wolves and theestablishment of a captive breeding program were determined to be the onlysolutions, then the captive breeding process was marred by the availability ofpure red wolves. Only 14 red wolves were determined “pure” and verifiedthrough a breeding certification program, becoming the founding population ofall red wolves in existence today. Captive breeding also was hampered by aslow start in the production of viable offspring. It was not until 1977 when thefirst litter of red wolves was born in captivity that the real steps in red wolfrecovery were made. The red wolf captive breeding program has grown anddeveloped since 1973, ensuring and maintaining the genetic diversity of thespecies. More than 40 zoos and nature centers that breed red wolves havecommitted substantial resources, without compensation, to the captivebreeding effort. Re-introduction of captive-born red wolves into the wild beganin 1987 and continued until 1994. However, red wolves were born in the wildevery year since the first wild-born litter in 1988. Fortunately, program partnersremain committed to re-introduction, and new partners are joining the recoveryeffort.114