The Great Wolf Rescue: Saving the Red Wolves

by Sandra Markle

Overview

North America’s rarest wolf species, the red wolf, was on the brink of extinction.

At one time, red wolves roamed the US from southern New York to as far south as Florida and as far west as Texas. But as European settlers moved in, these wolves began losing their home range and were hunted as a threat.

Red wolves became so rare by 1973 that they were given protection under the US Endangered Species Act. Then scientists came up with a daring plan: round up all remaining red wolves, launch a captive breeding program, and once the captive population was large enough, release red wolves to roam free in protected areas.

Follow along as scientists, conservationists, and wildlife experts join forces to help red wolves live wild again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728467962
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/05/2024
Series:	Sandra Markle's Science Discoveries
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	10 - 11 Years

About the Author

Sandra Markle is the author of numerous award-winning books for children. A former elementary science teacher, she is a nationally-known science education consultant. Markle has received many honors for her series Animal Predators, Animal Scavengers, and Animal Prey. Several titles have been named as National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)/Children’s Book Council (CBC) Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, and Animal Predators was honored as a Top 10 Youth Nonfiction Series by Booklist.

Over 500 schools participate in Markle's Book Explorers program which provides free resource-packed emails and classroom activities. Markle lives in Lakewood Ranch, Florida with her husband, photographer Skip Jeffery.

Editorial Reviews

"This educational read is certain to be valued and enjoyed by all who seek to learn more about the native red wolf. A fabulous addition to all nonfiction library shelves."—starred, School Library Journal

From the Publisher

2023-12-16
Deemed extinct in the wild, red wolves have made a modest recovery.

Markle notes that the red wolf was once a major predator in the U.S, but fearful European settlers shot and trapped them until few were left. By 1973, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began a recovery program, the remaining wolves had begun to interbreed with coyotes. Only a few pure red wolves were available for the captive breeding program that was begun in the late 1970s, in the hopes of restoring the population. In zoos, the population grew enough to support reintroductions, with varying degrees of success. Reintroduced wolves came into conflict with humans and bred with coyotes that had moved into what had been wolf territory. Eventually the Red Wolf Recovery Program turned to pup fostering, or putting pups born in captivity into red wolf dens so they could be raised by wild mothers. As she has done so often, Markle efficiently weaves information about animals and their importance to their ecosystems into her clear descriptions of humans rescuers and the effects of their actions. Her chronicle of the ups and downs of this program is set on a green-patterned background alongside informative photographs, as well as maps. The clever design makes reading easy; there are no text box interruptions. Readers will reach a better understanding of the challenges such recovery programs face.

A convincing introduction to human efforts to save animal species. (author’s note, facts about red wolves, glossary, source notes, find out more, index) (Nonfiction. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews