Securing the Trash to Lock in a Future for Red Wolves

A tattered, off-white building surrounded by a chain link fence sits on the Northeast side of Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. This compound — the Dare County Transfer Station, or more commonly referred to as the dump — paints a striking picture: a sore thumb brimming with human trash amid vast forest and farmland, the latter which provides important habitat for many native North Carolina species. A more conspicuous sight, however, is the all-too-common sighting of wildlife within the open boundaries of the transfer station, sifting through the trash.

Critically endangered red wolves are among the refuge wildlife attracted to this garbage hub. The attraction leads to a slew of issues and potential dangers to the animals. Defenders of Wildlife is, thankfully, a pro when it comes to bringing forth the best science and practices for these situations.

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Aspen Stevanovski

A Transfer-Point of Problems

Human trash is a major attractant for wildlife of all shapes and sizes. This is probably well-known regardless of where you are from: rats in major cities, raccoons in suburbs and bears in the mountains. When a large amount of trash is placed next to land set aside for the preservation of wildlife, however, the situation is escalated. Now, it is to the point where rats, raccoons, bears, coyotes and wolves are all taking advantage of this easy and unhealthy food source.

One of the most insidious problems caused by human trash is habituation. This occurs when wild animals use landfills and transfer stations to source meals and begin to associate the odor of humans with food. These animals then rapidly learn to seek out human establishments for the opportunity to find more “easy” meals, a folly putting both humans and our wild neighbors in close contact. Wolves and bears can travel great distances in their search of sustenance, and crossing roads to reach garbage puts them in danger of being struck and killed.

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Additionally, when this many animals are in a shared space, disease is bound to show up and spread. Common diseases that spread like wildfire through wildlife populations include distemper, parvovirus, mange and rabies. These diseases have a massive impact on mammal species in particular and can kill an entire litter of wolf puppies in the blink of an eye.  

If disease isn’t harming the animals, the plastics will. Eastern North Carolina U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists on the scene have found plastic in several animals’ scat. Microplastics will live forever in our bodies, but larger trash items can cause intestinal blockages and lead to a slow and painful death for the wild animal unfortunate enough to snack on it. 

A Recovery Plan Taken to the Next Level

There are currently about 290 red wolves in human care at zoos and captive breeding facilities around the country. Many of these wolves serve as a source population, supporting red wolf conservation in the wild. Some are candidates for reintroduction to the wild. Regardless of their role, the goal is for each captive wolf to be cared for following the best available science and in collaboration with red wolf recovery partners.  

This effort is a collaboration between federal and state government agencies, conservation organizations and Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited facilities who participate in the Red Wolf SAFE program (Saving Animals From Extinction). These groups work together to advocate for Red Wolves and educate the public about this native wolf.

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Taylor Wilson

So, what does this have to do with the trash at Alligator National Wildlife Refuge? Yes, the red wolves living on the refuge are wild. And wildness is the crux of the issue because in order for wolves to thrive and recover across their historical range, they must be kept as wild as possible. Therefore, Defenders has worked with the federal government and Dare County to design a new transfer station perimeter fence that meets the specifications of the Red Wolf husbandry manual.  

This manual is a document written with the gold standard of science and technology available to contain — or in this case, exclude — wolves. The design includes several elements to create a “Fort Knox” landfill including 8-foot fences with overhangs, dig barriers and electric wire as a backup, all with the goal of keeping wild red wolves wild.

Help from Montana to North Carolina

While the Red Wolf husbandry manual has been a great tool for helping tackle the issues with wolves, we also must account for the other animals infiltrating the station. Especially the bears.  

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Anton Joubert / USFWS

All across the country, bears are notorious for their skill in infiltrating pretty much anything they wish. So, we reached out to our experts in the Rockies. This included Russ Talmo, Defenders’ Rockies and Plains Program Associate, who has worked on the Electric Fence Incentive Program for over 12 years.  

“Electric fencing has been a common practice in the west for decades. We’ve found great success in recent years using it to reduce bear and wolf conflicts with livestock, but it has such a wide range of applications,” Russ noted. “It’s a simple and effective tool. I'm excited to see it being applied to conflicts in the east now too.”

With our Rockies experts help we plan to install electrified “grizzly mats” at the gates to prevent wildlife from squeezing under and to keep bears from waltzing through the front door every time a truck appears with a new load of garbage.  

Now, We Need Your Support

The plans are made. The contractors are ready to start building the fence. But we need your support to really make it happen. Please consider donating today to help red wolves and the wildlife of Alligator National Wildlife Refuge.