The WCC “teaches people about wolves, their relationship to the environment and the human role in protecting their future.” They host a number of educational events throughout the year including general information sessions, camping under the stars among the mammals, photograph opportunities, and virtual programs, with the majority of the proceeds going toward conservation and wolf care. In these programs, volunteers and workers explain that wolves are not how they are perceived to be such as those in the classical tales “The Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Three Little Pigs.” They are highly intelligent and minimally dangerous. There is a small chance for one to attack a person in its habitat; instead, they tend to run away.
In 1973, the Endangered Species Act was passed, which is the primary law in the U.S. for protecting endangered species. Fostering a number of similar centers for not only wolves, the act also presented a new human awareness regarding animals. Today in the United States, the wild population of gray wolves increased 24% from its 2018 total. Although the declaration has been controversial, on October 29 of 2020, the gray wolves were taken off the endangered species list and announced successfully recovered. By contrast, the red wolf population remains at fewer than 35 individual wolves in the United States. The WCC organization performs by the Species Survival Plan (SSP), a recovery program where a species is protected and preserved by managed breeding and reintroduction. Much effort goes into the care and rehabilitation of the wolves, whether it be from the workers or people interested in helping. The center even asks for calls declaring any roadkill, which is then picked up possibly given to the wolves as an additional food or snack.
Protecting all species that are either threatened or not creates a more attentive and humane outlook and expectation. The human population is highly dependent upon plants and other wildlife, oftentimes without even realizing it. Numerous programs and agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and the U.S. The Department of Agriculture will continue their efforts to protect and preserve, in addition to the nation’s greater community.