To the Editor:

Some of you may have read my red wolf letter to the editor published in early May. So, I will keep this simple. 

The last red wolf population in the wild exists solely in eastern North Carolina. The red wolf has faced increasing political pressure in the last few years from landowners in the red wolf range and the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission. Pressure from these sources led the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to passively watch as gunshot mortalities became the main cause of death during the last several years. The red wolf population dropped from more than 130 wolves to less than 30 known individuals in less than four years. 

Instead of rectifying their agency’s apathetic approach to red wolves by helping them regrow their population, the USFWS has instead moved forward with a proposal that will effectively doom the red wolf. The proposal includes shrinking the population by 90 percent, pulling many red wolves into captivity, and allowing any remaining red wolves who wander off federal lands to be shot. Scientists have already stated that the red wolf will go extinct in the wild within a decade under this plan.

As North Carolinians, we deserve better than to have the rarest canine go extinct in the wild in our state. Please voice your opposition to the USFWS proposal by submitting a comment by July 30 to HYPERLINK “http://regulations.gov/”regulations.gov using the red wolf docket number FWS-R4-ES-2018-0035.

Christopher Lile

Waynesville