File:Coast watch (1979) (20659967845).jpg

Title: Coast watch
Identifier: coastwatch00uncs_13 (find matches)
Year: 1979 (1970s)
Authors: UNC Sea Grant College Program
Subjects: Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology
Publisher: (Raleigh, N. C. : UNC Sea Grant College Program)
Contributing Library: State Library of North Carolina
Digitizing Sponsor: North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

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NATURALIST'S NOTEBOOK smarter than wolves.... People have been trying to exterminate the coyote for 150 years, unsuccessfully, but look how relatively easily the red wolf was brought to the point of extinc- tion." Fish and Wildlife Service biologists are now taking up the age-old battle against the coyote, but it's difficult to wage war against a creature so close to the red wolf in appearance. Though coyotes are smaller, about half the size of red wolves, they have similar markings. "If I were to see one over 150 yards away, I'd only be able to say, 'That's a small canid,'" McLellan says. Up close, the two species do have recognizable differences. "A coyote generally has a smaller, narrower face, smaller ears and a smaller muzzle," McLellan says. "Also, their feet are much smaller than a wolf s." Yet if the program placed a bounty on coyotes, concerned citizens would likely kill as many red wolves as their canid cousins. For now, the Fish and Wildlife Service staff settle for trapping all the red wolves, coyotes and hybrids that they can, outfitting them with radio collars to track their movements. "We don't know to what extent they are interbreeding," McLellan says. "Right now we're sterilizing non-wolves, putting collars on them and releasing them to their home ranges.... They serve as space holders until we can replace them with red wolves." Overall, the red wolf program has been a success, despite the threat of hybridization, McLellan and Gilbreath say. The wolves have reproduced well in the wild, and scientists and wildlife managers have gleaned vast amounts of information about what red wolves need
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Coyotes are about half the size of red wolves. George Harrison/USFWS to survive. Many partners have joined the Fish and Wildlife Service in supporting the project, including the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, the N.C. Zoological Park, the N.C. Department of Transportation, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and Duke University. The University of Idaho and Trent University in Canada assist the program with genetic research. "There has always been tremendous public interest in the program," Gilbreath says. Last year, the Fish and Wildlife Service made her the program's first outreach coordinator, in charge of working with the media and keeping the project's Web site up-to-date. The red wolves have drawn mixed reaction from the surrounding communi- ties. But some who were at first skeptical have softened their stance. Initially, "the main issue was the safety of families, pets and livestock," McLellan says. But the red wolves proved to be notoriously shy and retiring. "You rarely see them, unless you're out there at night." In fact, the desire to make contact with the wolves is much stronger than any lingering fear. "We've been doing howlings for 12 years, and they've always been popular," McLellan says. "As many as 300 people have come to one." At the howlings, staff members make a short presenta- tion on the wolves' history and biology and provide information on the re-establishment project. Then staff members lead the rapt audience through the woods until they are near some of the captive wolves — individuals "who didn't do so well in the wild," McLellan says. When the guests howl into the darkness, the wolves always howl back. "It's great to see the reactions of people," McLellan says. "They get so excited ... their mouths are gaping open, their jaws are on the ground. They always stay still for a few minutes, just listening." As for McLellan himself, the eerie, spine-tingling music of the wolves still amazes him every time. Like so many others in North Carolina he hopes it will never be silenced. □ For more information about the red wolf re-establishment program, or to get a schedule of upcoming wolf howlings, contact the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge at 252/473-1131. On the Web, check www.outer-banks.com/alligator-river/ redwolf.html, www.fws.gov/r4all/ redwolf.html and www.nczooredwolf.org/ 24 WINTER 2000

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