About Red Wolf Conflict Untangled

Join our adventure to discover the complexity of the red wolf conflict.

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35 or fewer red wolves left in the wild!

What's going on in "Red Wolf Country"? Get ready for a new and unique multimedia exploration into this American human/wildlife conflict.

Donate & Learn More Here

Are you ready to explore the endangered red wolf & the fight surrounding it?

We'll meet people on all sides of this conflict because our non-profit, WildSides, is not taking a side. Our job is to share their stories, their perspectives. Then, together, we will learn about ALL the issues with greater depth than any educational or journalistic media has ever done before.

Help us provide more context!

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service re-opens public comment period Aug. 13 - Aug. 28.

We want to create a couple new videos to provide more depth about two main issues in the conflict over the red wolf:

Hunting - How do red wolves interact with hunting activities in the red wolf recovery area? What are the perceptions and realities?
Coyotes - We will provide even more depth into the coyote issue and how that contributes to the conflict over red wolf recovery.

We have less than two weeks! Please consider a tax-deductible donation to allow us to create and produce these videos by clicking the Donate & Learn button. Many thanks to all those who have already contributed!

Urgency

Click the photo for the full 5-year status review.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a new proposed rule for the endangered red wolf. Among other things, it would reduce the red wolf recovery area for the only wild population of red wolves in the world from 1.7 million acres to 208,000 acres. You can find more details in their press release here.

With this action and 30 days for public comment, WildSides wants everyone to be aware of the issues, the perspectives, the facts and the stories surrounding the red wolf issue. We believe that the more informed everyone is on all sides of the issue, the better the comments will be regardless of your side in the conflict.

Why WildSides

We are proud to be the only media project that has fully explored different sides of the issue. Since 2011, we have filmed with people on the ground where the only wild population of red wolves roam: northeastern North Carolina. WildSides is proud to present what will be the most extensive media project about the red wolf ever made, providing more depth into different perspectives than ever before. In 2012, we published 50+ minutes of short films delving into many stakeholders' perspectives and stories. We were lucky that all the players continue to invite us back. And, with your help, we will create new short films, discuss opinions through podcasts and explore the facts of the related issues.

"Beyond 24"

WildSides will add depth to the 24-hour news cycle and go beyond films that only skim the surface. Together we'll explore the issues, discuss the data, understand people on all sides of the issue, celebrate our differences and highlight our similarities.

Want to support this project?

Donate to this Nonprofit Effort & Learn More Here

Meet the Players

You will get to meet people from all sides of the issue. Get to know them as humans rather than statistics or social media posts.

What we'll learn:

Not who is right and who is wrong, but what people believe and why they have their perceptions.
Human and red wolf stories to help inform our conversations.
Our differences can be celebrated and openness will help us learn.
Despite differences, and regardless of what side any of us are on, people have similarities across the board and across the conflict.
We have fundamental issues and differences of opinion but, once we learn about each other, hopefully we can have more fruitful discussions.
How our paths cross despite geographic, political, socioeconomic, professional and personal differences.

"I know on my piece of land that I've seen the deer population startin' to dwindle"

Join Hunters as they hunt some of the prey that red wolves hunt. Those prey animals may change their behavior due to the presence of the red wolf. But is there enough prey to go around?

With fewer than 40 left in the wild, red wolves are fighting for survival

Meet some of the red wolves, hear their stories, and investigate and debate how population numbers have dwindled.

Trappers in Canada "told me...they could catch so much more other fur-bearers that the wolves had destroyed"

Tag along with trappers while they hunt many of the same animals red wolves want.

"We just pushed them out of their natural habitat"

Organizations like the Red Wolf Coalition, Animal Welfare Institute and Defenders of Wildlife have become the voice for red wolves in the wild.

"As far as the wolves themselves, we have not seen anything but a benefit on [one] property"

"we still sympathize with the people that have smaller tracts of land that can't keep the predation down from the other predators." Learn why some landowners are OK with red wolves and others are not.

"It's one of the most important things in the world to me, really, to protect and preserve endangered species"

Join the biologists to see how they tracked, trapped and released red wolves throughout the years.

"We love our hunting. And that is a heritage that goes back from generation to generation"

Small business owners and hunting guides depend on hunting tourism for income.

Pro-Red Wolf Trappers and Hunters

Some trappers and hunters also believe red wolves have a place in the overall ecosystem. Some believe red wolves might make deer herds stronger by targeting the weak animals.

"This experiment just isn't working. That's the bottom line."

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission represents the state in managing federally listed species under the Endangered Species Act.

"It is one of the most successful reintroductions of a predator in the United States"

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) helps conservation groups fight for the protection of red wolves in the court of law.

New Beginnings

Tag along with red wolf biologists while they search for red wolf pup dens in the spring!

Fighting for Deer

Hunters and red wolves hunt the same prey. Prey animals may change their behavior due to the presence of the red wolf. Is there enough prey to go around?

Endangered Species Act Requirements

Recently, conservation groups have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (US FWS) for failing "to manage the dramatically reduced red wolf population so as to ensure its survival and promote its recovery." Charges include "ceasing coyote sterilizations;" "suspending red wolf reintroductions;" and, "authorizing individual landowners to shoot and kill red wolves."

Killing in the Name of...

Red wolves have been shot with more frequency in recent years. This has led to lawsuits over coyote hunting in the red wolf recovery area and take permits issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Red Wolf Capture

Join biologists as they try to outsmart red wolves so they can monitor wolves' health and affix radio collars for tracking.

Trapping Game

Trappers seek many of the same animals red wolves hunt. Learn first-hand how the trapping game plays out.

Into the Wild

Witness red wolf releases up close through this documentary project.

The Economic View

Three of the five counties in the red wolf recovery area have a per capita income less than $17,000. Many people in these counties depend on hunting tourism for income and hunt to supplement their diets with local wild game.

Asking for Answers

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission passed resolutions stating 1) that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) should declare the red wolf extinct in the wild and 2) that the FWS should remove any remaining red wolves from private property.

Captive Baseline

Without the wild population in North Carolina, all that would remain is a captive population in more than 40 zoos and centers around the United States.

Building Bridges

Over the years red wolf biologists have worked with farmers for access to their farmlands in order to manage the wild red wolf population.

Red Wolf? Coyote? Hybrid?

Misidentification of red wolves as coyotes has led to red wolf shootings. Some dispute whether red wolves are a distinctly different species than coyotes. Let's figure this out together!

This Land Is My Land

Some landowners do not want red wolves or coyotes on their land and want to be able to shoot these canids to keep them off their land. Landowners fear the canids will compete for wild game, threaten their pets or livestock or drive wild game off their lands. What do you think?

Red Wolf Benefits to Agriculture

Some landowners see the benefits of red wolves because they hunt animals that damage dams and dykes critical for agricultural drainage.

Red Wolf Dating Game

Meet the red wolf matchmakers. See for yourself how biologists paired females and males together to grow the population.

This Land is Your Land

The red wolf recovery area provides natural resources extracted for human use everywhere: logging, farming, hunting, wildlife refuges and much more. Join us and navigate these lands like a red wolf.

Crossing Paths

You, a red wolf biologist and a trapper search for a missing trap. Some trappers have turned in red wolves and coyotes to biologists. This helped biologists manage wolves and avoid cross-breeding of coyotes and wolves (called "hybridization").

Explore the Issues

Wildlife and the Endangered Species Act
Private property
Policy, Politics and law
Socioeconomic, business and financial aspects related to the red wolf issue
Hunting, Trapping, Wildlife refuges and Agriculture
Environmental and Ecological issues
and much more

About Red Wolf Conflict Untangled

Join our adventure to discover the complexity of the red wolf conflict.

35 or fewer red wolves left in the wild!

What's going on in "Red Wolf Country"? Get ready for a new and unique multimedia exploration into this American human/wildlife conflict.

Are you ready to explore the endangered red wolf & the fight surrounding it?

Help us provide more context!

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service re-opens public comment period Aug. 13 - Aug. 28.

Urgency

Why WildSides

"Beyond 24"

Want to support this project?

Meet the Players

What we'll learn:

Explore the Issues

Wildlife and the Endangered Species Act

Private property

Policy, Politics and law

Socioeconomic, business and financial aspects related to the red wolf issue

Hunting, Trapping, Wildlife refuges and Agriculture

Environmental and Ecological issues

and much more

Email us: connect@wildsides.org

P.O. Box 5593 High Point, NC 27262-5593