Restoration of the Red Wolf

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Restoration of the Red Wolf; preventing their extinction once more Ref: (4) USFW (US Fish and Wildlife Service) and IUCN status of the Red wolf The red wolf is listed as endangered under the U. S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) (United States Public Law No. 93-205; United States Code Title 16 Section 1531 et seq.). Wild red wolves inhabiting the north eastern North Carolina (NENC), USA recovery area and a single island propagation site (St. Vincent NWR, Florida) are designated as experimental non-essential populations under Section 10(j) of the ESA. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists the red wolf’s status as critically endangered. Problem: The red wolf is one of the most endangered wild canids in the world, once common throughout south eastern United States, the red wolf population was severely reduced due to intensive predator control programs and loss of habitat. A few remaining wolves were found on the Gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana, at this point in the 1970’s, the entire population was believed to be fewer than 100. The red wolf announced to the world to that it was officially extinct in 1973, with just a few red wolves in captivity. The problem now being addressed is how to prevent the red wolf being extinct again as it is now on the endangered species list. Genetic Diversity within a species- Red wolf: Each and every individual organism has unique combination of alleles. The greater the variation of alleles in a species, the less likely the species is to die out as they’re all different and so react differently to threats in terms of infection and can defend themselves in numerous ways. This means that even if there was an outbreak of disease, because the variation of genes and combinations of al... ... middle of paper ... ...6) Wikipedia Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_wolf Accessed: 19/02/2014 2), 7), 5), 3), Ref: (December 2006) US Fish and Wildlife Service Available at: http://www.fws.gov/southeast/pubs/alwolf.pdf Accessed: 19/02/2014 6), 8), 9) Ref: http://redwolves.com/rwc/downloads/other/rw_biology_status.pdf 2) Ref:http://redwolfssp.org/newsite/studbooks/2012_red_wolf_studbook.pdf 3) Red Wolf (Canis rufus) Recovery: A Review with Suggestions for Future Research- Journal (13 August 2013) Author: Joseph W. Hinton, Michael J. Chamberlain, David R. Rabon Jr First Edition Date Accessed: 30/03/2013 4) Studbook: http://redwolfssp.org/newsite/studbooks/2012_red_wolf_studbook.pdf (4 January 2013) Author (s): William Waddell through Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium Data et al Date Accessed: 27/02/2013

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