Rare red wolves arrive at SC coastal park. Here’s how to see them
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Three rare wolves have arrived at a coastal park in South Carolina as part of a plan to educate the public and save a species that was hunted to the brink of extinction after settlers arrived in North America.
A four-acre area of Brookgreen Gardens in Georgetown County opens to the public Saturday along the nature preserve’s boardwalk, which will give visitors a glimpse of red wolves, animals that once roamed the countryside of South Carolina.
“They are just beautiful,’’ said Andrea DeMuth, vice president and curator of Brookgreen’s zoo collection. ‘’They are the personality of what you would imagine for a wolf. They are standoffish, but they stare at you pretty intently. ‘’
“We are still learning different behaviors, but they are playing and they play rough. They chase each other. Then they all nap together like buddies.’’
A zoo in Ohio that specializes in red wolves shipped them to Brookgreen in June. The wolves are all male and are brothers from the same litter, but they will be joined or replaced next year by a male and female pair.
The pair will then be bred and the pups either sent to other zoos or possibly be released into the wild with adult red wolves at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. Alligator River has for decades been the place where wildlife biologists are trying to reintroduce the ruddy canines into the wild.
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Standing about 26 inches at the shoulder and weighing 45 to 80 pounds, red wolves are smaller than the more widely known gray wolves, a variation of the species from the West that can weigh up to 120 pounds. But they are larger than coyotes, which are about 23 inches at the shoulder and weigh 17 to 35 pounds. Red wolves are lanky canines with reddish highlights on their fur, thus the name.
They were historically found from Texas to New England, but only about 300 survive in the world today. The red wolf is a federally protected endangered species.
In an effort to repopulate the species, red wolves were bred for several decades on Bulls Island at Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge in Charleston County. But the program shut down about 20 years ago. A visitors center at Cape Romain also has had red wolves on display in captivity, making it one of the few places in South Carolina with the animals. Pups have been born there in the past.
To see the red wolves at Brookgreen, visitors need to buy an admission pass to the park along U.S. 17 in Murrells Inlet, south of Myrtle Beach. The cost is $22 for those 13 to 64; $12 for children ages 4 to 12; and $20 for those 65 and older. Tickets are good for seven consecutive days.
“Red wolves are a critically endangered species that are native to the southeastern United States, and we are proud to be part of the effort to save this species while also educating the public,” according to a news release Friday quoting Page Kiniry, president and CEO of Brookgreen Gardens. “Our goal is to support conservation efforts for this species by maintaining a healthy and viable population of red wolves under human care, growing education and awareness efforts, and aiding research vital to supporting population recovery and management.”
This story was originally published July 28, 2023 at 5:36 PM.
