The most endangered species on the planet lives in North Carolina. Only 25 red wolves remain in the wild, and The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has suspended all management and protection for red wolves. This freeze on active management has shackled of some of the most dedicated red wolf biologists in the country from the work they do best, and red wolf mortality in the wild continues to climb. A total extinction of the wild population is imminent unless the Red Wolf Recover Program resumes and the red wolf recovery area is restored.
Filmmakers Kyle and Trevor Ritland traveled to Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in eastern North Carolina, where the last red wolves roam. In this nine-minute video, they talk with leaders, landowners, and locals about the red wolf’s uncertain future.
This article and the accompanying video were produced through Adventure Term, an alternative study program with a focus on ecology, conservation, and storytelling, which instructs students, interns, and working professionals in the production of engaging media in the fields of journalism, photography, blogging and social media, and documentary filmmaking. Courses open to the public Summer 2018. Learn more at https://www.adventureterm.
