skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

More Red Wolves Slated to Be Released Into the Wild

play audio
Play

Thursday, March 4, 2021   

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Government wildlife officials say they will release more critically endangered red wolves into the wild in North Carolina.

The move comes after a federal court ruled back in January the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had to take action by March to restart the release of captive red wolves into their recovery area in the eastern part of the state.

Heather Clarkson, southeast program outreach representative for Defenders of Wildlife, said reintroduction and management is urgently needed to save the world's most endangered wolf species, with only an estimated ten to twenty red wolves in the wild today.

"As of right now, the only place that you can find wild red wolves in the country is North Carolina," Clarkson explained. "North Carolina has been at the center of this recovery program for 30 years. These wolves are such an incredibly important part of North Carolina's ecosystem."

Three decades ago, the red wolf was reintroduced in the state to rebuild a population nearly extinct from hunting and development. In 2014, the number of wild red wolves peaked around 130, but has since steadily nosedived.

More than 30 U.S. lawmakers, including Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., of Greenville, recently signed a letter urging the government to immediately implement a comprehensive plan to prevent the wolf's extinction.

Clarkson noted the effort was spearheaded by Rep. A. Donald McEachin, D-Va.

"We're very excited to see support from our northern neighbor, especially given the close proximity to the program," Clarkson remarked.

Clarkson pointed to cross-fostering, where wildlife biologists take infant pups and pair them with a wild litter and a surrogate mom, as an effective tool for boosting the wild population. But she added the government continues to stall on releasing captive wolves.

"So, they made the decision as the agency to stop releasing," Clarkson recounted. "And that was as a result of some years of conflict and pretty devastating losses in the red wolf population in North Carolina."

In addition to releasing captive wolves as soon as possible, she suggested U.S. Fish and Wildlife management could work with state agencies to identify more lands that could function as habitat for red wolves, and protect them from accidental gunshots by educating hunters how to spot differences between red wolves and coyotes.

Disclosure: Defenders of Wildlife contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Endangered Species and Wildlife, Energy Policy, Environment, and Public Lands/Wilderness. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021