Wild red wolves could be wiped out within a DECADE, experts warn 

FILE – In this June 13, 2017 file photo, the parents of this 7-week old red wolf pup keep an eye on their offspring at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, N.C. Federal wildlife officials say the only wild population of endangered red wolves is unsustainable and could be wiped out within years. The prediction comes in a five-year review of the status of the species released Tuesday, April 24, 2018, by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The report says only about 40 wolves remain in the wild in North Carolina, down from a peak of about 120 a decade ago. Another 230 wolves live in captivity. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File

Wild red wolves could be wiped out within a DECADE: Experts warn the population ‘cannot recover from their losses’ as new estimates show there are now just 40 left

• Review found there are roughly 40 wolves in the wild in eastern North Carolina
• Just ten years ago, the same region was home to about 120 wild red wolves
• Experts warn the wild population of the endangered species is unsustainable
• About 230 wolves live in zoos and wildlife facilities stable captive population

The only wild population of endangered red wolves is unsustainable and could be wiped out within a decade after dwindling to a few dozen, government officials said in a report Tuesday.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service review of the species’ status estimates that only about 40 wolves remain in the wild in eastern North Carolina, down from a peak of about 120 a decade ago.

‘The population cannot recover from their losses and overcome mortality resulting in a steadily declining population,’ the review states, predicting these wild wolves could vanish in as little as a decade.

Another 230 wolves live in zoos and wildlife facilities in what’s considered a more stable captive population.

Conservationists contend the wild decline is due to neglect by federal officials who have halted releases of captive-born wolves and other efforts to bolster their numbers, such as sterilizing coyotes that compete for territory.

Last month, conservation groups asked a federal judge to order those efforts to resume, saying it’s not too late to save the wild wolves.

Leopoldo Miranda, an assistant regional director for the Fish and Wildlife Service, said the review draws on research showing the habitat won’t support the wild population without heavy human intervention.

Miranda said the agency spends about $1 million each year on the wolves, more than any other endangered species in the Southeast

‘The conditions conducive to self-sustainability are not present at this time in eastern North Carolina,’ he said in a phone interview.

Still, a chart released in a related federal report shows the leading causes of death for the wolves are man-made, with more than 80 dying from gunshot wounds over an approximately 25-year period ending in 2013.

Vehicle collisions caused about 70 deaths during the period. The leading natural cause, health-related problems, accounted for nearly 60 deaths.

The main purpose of the five-year review was to evaluate the wolves’ endangered species status, which it says should be maintained. It noted scientists have disagreed in recent decades about whether the red wolf represents a species unto itself, a subspecies or a more recent hybrid.

Source: Wild red wolves could be wiped out within a DECADE, experts warn | Daily Mail Online