Pygmy Rabbit

Pygmy Rabbit sitting below a branch. Photograph by Betsy Demay             Pygmy rabbits are typically found in areas of tall, dense sagebrush cover, and are highly dependent on sagebrush to provide both food and shelter throughout the year. Their diet in the winter consists of up to 99 percent sagebrush.      The pygmy rabbit is believed to be one of only two in Northern America that digs its own burrows. Pygmy rabbit burrows are typically found in relatively deep, loose soils of wind-borne or water-born origin. They occasionally make use of burrows abandoned by other species and as a result, may occur in areas of shallower or more compact soils that support sufficient shrub cover.      The pygmy rabbit historical range includes portions of California, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Washington. On March 5, 2003, the Columbia Basin Distinct Population Segment of the pygmy rabbit was listed as endangered in the state of Washington.      Habitat loss and fragmentation caused by conversion of sagebrush rangeland to agriculture, development, including oil and gas production, and wildfire frequency in some areas. How to Help:      Citizens can adopt a Pygmy Rabbit to save one in real life, reach out to their political leaders to spread the word about the state of the pygmy rabbit, and stay informed by following alerts about the pygmy rabbit's condition.

Red Wolf

Red Wolf walking

Photograph by John & Karen Hollingsworth / USFWS

       The red wolf is a smaller and a more slender cousin of the gray wolf. It is gray-black, with a reddish cast that gives it the color for which it is named.
       Historically, red wolves ranged throughout the southeastern U.S. from Pennsylvania to Florida and as far west as Texas. Today, wild populations roam more than 1.7 million acres throughout northeastern North Carolina, including Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.
       Almost hunted to the brink of extinction, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rounded up fewer than 20 pure red wolves to be bred in captivity in 1980. As of 2007, approximately 207 captive red wolves reside at 38 captive breeding facilities across the United States. Now, more than 50 red wolves currently live in the wild.
      Threats to the red wolf include habitat loss due to human development, negative attitudes that hinder restoration, severe weather, deaths by motor vehicles, and illegal killings. Interbreeding between coyote and red wolf populations has remained a constant threat to the recovery of this species.
      Given that the entire current range of the red wolf in the wild is located in a small coastal area at roughly three feet in elevation, the impacts of climate change, including storm surges and sea level rise, loom large as a threat to their future.

How to Help
     Support will help fight to protect red wolves and other threatened and endangered wildlife. To help endangered red wolves, citizens can symbolically adopt and help save real animals in the wild. They can take action by visiting the Wildlife Action Center to send a message to government leaders. Speak up for wildlife and learn how you can be a powerful advocate for wildlife. Stay informed and sign up to receive instant alerts and updates about important issues affecting wildlife.