Brookgreen Gardens Launches Effort to Conserve Endangered Red Wolf Species

Press Release

Brookgreen Gardens, a conservator of South Carolina’s indigenous animals, has announced a fundraising campaign to help protect the most endangered wolf in the world, the red wolf. The $250,000 campaign will fund a new four-acre habitat in Brookgreen’s Lowcountry Zoo to allow a pack of red wolves to live safely in their natural environment.

The zoo will house two breeding wolf pairs in cooperation with the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan, a program designed to oversee the population management of an endangered species in captivity and enhance their conservation in the wild.

“Red wolves were at risk of being hunted to extinction and we have a rare opportunity to be part of the effort save this species through breeding, education, and conservation,” Page Kiniry, President and CEO of Brookgreen Gardens, said. “This effort is directly aligned with our mission to collect, conserve, and exhibit the plants, animals, and cultural materials of the South Carolina Lowcountry. We are asking for your support to help the red wolf species survive.”

Brookgreen’s Lowcountry Zoo, one of only five institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in South Carolina, allows guests to learn about animals that are native to the Lowcountry, including species seen in the wild. All the native animals in the Lowcountry Zoo were either bred and raised in captivity or have sustained a major disability due to injury. In either case, these animals cannot survive in the wild.

In April 2020, Brookgreen Gardens received a $50,000 Conservation Centers for Species Survival (C2S2) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Challenge Grant to help create the red wolf exhibit at the Lowcountry Zoo. The C2S2 grant has been matched by a generous donation from the Christy and Ken Taucher Donor Advised Fund of the Central Carolina Community Foundation, which will support the first phase of the project. Another matching gift of $50,000 was donated by a Brookgreen Gardens Trustee that wishes to remain anonymous.

To donate to the campaign, and become a member of Brookgreen’s Red Wolf Pack, visit https://bit.ly/3dUSp1s. Donors who contribute $25 or more will receive a red wolf card and decal, $250 or more will receive a red wolf thank you gift that includes a red wolf face mask and $2,500 or more will be recognized with a plaque at the exhibit. To learn more, text redwolfpack to 71777 or visit https://bit.ly/3dUSp1s.

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