Study Finds Support for Red Wolves, but Poaching Persists

A recent study that surveyed attitudes regarding red wolves found that, while a broad majority of the population liked and supported the wolves, a small minority of poachers is driving the species toward extinction in the wild. Residents of the nine counties surrounding the Red Wolf Recovery Area in northeastern North Carolina were surveyed. A majority indicated they liked red wolves, and a plurality supported the recovery program, would not shoot wolves illegally, and disliked a policy that allows landowners to kill wolves. Male hunters indicated the highest inclination to poach and the lowest level of red wolf acceptance of any interest group, however. The authors recommended that officials from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency responsible for managing the wild population, conduct outreach, law enforcement, and antipoaching and coexistence interventions with this interest group to better protect red wolves. 

Program Terms: Terrestrial Wildlife

AWI Quarterly Terms: Quick Read