wouldn't face prosecution. And deer 

 hunting on the refuge could continue. 



The wolves would be outfitted 

 with radio collars that allowed Fish 

 and Wildlife biologists to track their 

 travels. 



Even with all of this, support of 

 the project was by no means unani- 

 mous. This was, after all, a wolf. 



"People have very strong emo- 

 tions about wolves," biologist Dagen 



says. "Usually it's one way or the 

 other. There is no middle ground." 



Compared to Land Between the 

 Lakes — or to the opposition to cur- 

 rent plans to reintroduce wolves to 

 Yellowstone National Park — the 

 Dare County opposition was minimal. 



"For the most part, the local folks 

 have been very tolerant, if not outright 

 supportive," Dagen says. "It's really 

 not that big a deal." 



In the five years following the 

 first release, 40 more wolves were 

 released on the refuge. Twenty-two 

 wolves were born, and 22 wolves 

 died, mostly from vehicle accidents, 

 fights with other wolves and drown- 

 ing. One wolf choked on a raccoon 

 kidney. Although not pleased with the 

 deaths, Fish and Wildlife officials 

 point out that none resulted from 

 public hatred of the canids. 



But some deaths 

 did indicate the 

 wolves' lack of fear 

 of things associated 

 with humans — 

 mostly motor ve- 

 hicles. Fish and 

 Wildlife officials 

 continue to tinker 

 with the program to 

 increase the captive 

 animals' dislike of 

 people (and of 

 trucks and cars) to 

 boost their chances 

 of survival after re- 

 lease. "Wild-born 

 animals," Dagen 

 says, "are much 

 more wise." 



Evans and 

 Dagen don latex 

 gloves before lifting 

 the pups, one by one, 

 out of the whelping 

 box. Dagen holds 

 the pups while 

 Evans dabs anti- 

 M^^M^Mi biotic ointment on 



their feet — a treat- 

 ment for staph infections. 



For the most part, the wolf pups 

 look like dog puppies. But their guard 

 hairs — long, stiff hairs that help pro- 

 tect them — are starting to come in, 

 giving some of the pups a slightly 

 startled look. 



They are unquestionably cute, 

 and it would be tempting to cuddle 

 them the way you would a family pet. 

 But that's exactly what biologists 



cannot do. They want the wolves to 

 distrust humans, to continue to fear 

 them. So Evans and Dagen are busi- 

 nesslike. They work quickly. 



The parents circle constantly, 

 almost frantically, while the humans 

 are in the pen. They look terrified. 



So much for the big, bad wolf 



About 30 red wolves now roam 

 the Alligator River refuge. Biologists 

 track them with radio collars, flying 

 over the refuge about three times 

 weekly to chart each wolf's location. 



Red wolves are reclusive and 

 nocturnal, traveling alone or in small 

 family groups. Most of the groups 

 have shown an affinity for disturbed 

 areas — areas that have been logged 

 or fanned — where primary succes- 

 sion has begun. Here, small rodents 

 (marsh rabbits are a favorite food) 

 tend to be more plentiful. 



"Wolves like edges of things," 

 Dagen says. "They do well in varying 

 habitats. They range over a huge 

 area, and they have done all that dis- 

 persing on their own." 



This year, Fish and Wildlife 

 officials plan to aid in the dispersion, 

 releasing one family of wolves on 

 the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife 

 Refuge, which covers remote por- 

 tions of Hyde, Tyrrell and Washing- 

 ton counties. A six-puppy family will 

 be released on a small island north of 

 the peninsula. 



Fish and Wildlife biologists 

 consider Pocosin Lakes an ideal 

 location for the wolf because of its 

 similarity to the Alligator River 

 refuge. But this release may not be 

 as smooth as the Dare County release 

 of six years ago. 



Last year, county commissioners 

 in Washington and Hyde counties 

 resolved to oppose the wolf release 

 out of fear that the canid would 

 attack livestock or children. And the 

 commissioners were concerned that 

 the animal later would be declared 

 endangered and landowners would 

 lose rights on their land should the 



10 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1993 



