Arkansas has an abundance of wildlife, and that's fitting. After all, this is The Natural State. And used to be The Bear State. If things keep going like they're going, it might one day be called The Deer State. Or, worse yet, The Feral Hog State.
As habitats change and Homo sapiens make use of more and more land, some species are pushed out, more's the pity. One of those species seems to be the red wolf, or Canis rufus. So imagine our surprise when we learned that Arkansas State University is considering helping these guys make a triumphant return.
It turns out the red wolf is one of the most endangered species in our country, according to Smithsonian. Their situation apparently became so dire that conservationists stepped in and captured the last 17 red wolves known to be in the wild and have been slowly breeding and reintroducing them.
The other day, ASU announced it was working with the National Wildlife Federation to raise awareness about the red wolf. The university has shown commitment to its mascot, and that's respectable given it was nearly wiped off the planet by our own doing(s).
For those of you unfamiliar with what a red wolf is, the breed is quite different than its popular cousin the gray wolf, which is more often portrayed in movies like White Fang. The red wolf is thought to be closer to a cross between coyotes and wolves. They were once abundant here in Arkansas.
In a video released by ASU, Dr. Tom Risch, a professor of animal ecology, discusses how the university is looking at the possibility of becoming a breeding center. We think that's a stellar idea and the outdoorsmen among us would love to see how this discussion continues. Having one of our biggest schools responsible for helping a species avoid extinction, well, that's not only interesting, but affirming. Who says the papers only print bad news?
Though we're not sure if other Arkansas schools should follow through with helping their mascots increase their numbers in the wild. We've got enough hogs running around causing problems for farmers, hunters, gardeners and everybody else. And we're not quite sure what a Wonder Boy would do if released into the wild.
Our advice to ASU? Just carry on, y'all. This program has the potential to teach many lessons for conservationists in other parts of the country, provide a heckuva education for biology majors right here in Arkansas, and bring some positive vibes for the whole state. And, let's not forget, save an entire species. As they say in Jonesboro, howl yes!
Editorial on 11/17/2018