Red Wolf Project
The Project
The Red Wolf Project is an educational endeavor focusing on the history, future, and science of the Red Wolf, the most endangered canid in the world. The project has a peripheral focus on the southeastern coyote and its role in the story of the Red Wolf.
This project aims to creatively weave together the Red Wolf’s story through the documentation of the current genetic and morphometric research efforts on the canids of the coastal southeast, as well as the earlier research and historical accounts. We present this interdisciplinary research project through creative multimedia that will be accessible to all through this website.
Through this exploration we aim to educate a broad audience on both Red Wolves and coyotes, and their place in North America.
Red Wolves at The Museum of Life and Science © Robert Wilcox
Overall Project Mission
We strive to separate the facts from the fiction and paint a realistic picture of their current challenges and threats, while also addressing the long-standing stigma and attitudes towards these two endemic North American canid species.
We work to promote cooperation and collaboration across agencies, organizations, and the general public in regards to North American wild canids and to highlight the current conservation issues of the critically endangered Red Wolf.
This is a multi-part long term multimedia project.
Project Part 1: 2021 - 2023
This part of our project comprises four years of archival research of the Red Wolf’s little known natural history as well as the documentation of current research.
We began adding content to this website in late 2021. Over the next few years we plan to use this website to house the growing collection of content. This educational content will include photo and media galleries, video, a podcast, webinars, and educational PDF downloads.
Project Mission for Part 1:
1.) To promote the understanding of the natural history of Red Wolves and southeastern coyotes, and their importance in the ecosystem.
2.) To create and make accessible the science through multimedia from our documentation and research to help increase the understanding of multi-layered story of the remaining Red Wolves of North Carolina and the wild canids of the Southeastern USA.
3.) To promote cooperation between stakeholders, agencies, scientists and the public concerning the Red Wolf and the wild canids of the Southeastern USA.
4.) To continue to coordinate local efforts for Canine Ancestry Project in Louisiana and support the scientists involved by providing contemporary samples of wild canids in Louisiana for DNA sequencing.
5.) To support the scientific researchers of North American wild canids by disseminating their findings via creative multimedia projects making their work easily accessible to the general public and stakeholders.
6.) To create easily digestible and empathetic visual stories of the science to inspire conversation, conservation strategies, and action in regards to the critically endangered Red Wolf.
7.) To address and present the questions of current canid science.
8.) To present the needed shift of contemporary conservation strategies and policy that are more in harmony with contemporary times.
9.) To create content from our archival research to tell the historical story of the red wolf and to present the lessons that can be taken from these stories.
