Muppet the critically endangered red wolf was only beginning his life. A fatal car collision cut it short.
A 2-year-old endangered red wolf named Muppet was found dead after being hit by a vehicle in North Carolina. Fewer than two dozen wild red wolves are left in the wild — and Muppet’s death brings that dwindling population one step closer to extinction.
To help bring red wolves back from the brink, we can build more wildlife corridors to allow red wolves safe passage.
At the tender age of 2, Muppet was only beginning to learn how to become a contributing member of the Milltail Pack — one of only two families of red wolves in the wild.
Fatal collisions between vehicles and red wolves like Muppet are far too common: Five red wolves have been killed by cars in the past year.
Thankfully, there is a solution. Wildlife corridors could save red wolves from being hit by vehicles. A single roadkill is one too many. Before we lose red wolves forever, we need to act.
Wildlife corridors connect habitats fragmented by human development and give wildlife a safe way to wander. They can even help wild animals safely traverse busy roadways via a wildlife bridge or tunnel.
Currently, red wolves live in just two wildlife refuges in eastern North Carolina. Without safe wildlife crossings, they can’t move about freely to regain their former territory across the American Southeast.
Highway 64 borders one of the refuges that red wolves call home. A wildlife corridor could help them navigate that highway safely — and there is federal money available to help build these corridors.
We can offer this critically endangered species a lifeline by constructing wildlife bridges or tunnels that let red wolves cross major roads.
Urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take action for the only red wolves left in the wild.
There are as few as 20 red wolves left in the wild, and all of them live in a small area in North Carolina. Endangered red wolves are often struck and killed by cars on major highways near their remaining habitat.
