How are American Red Wolves tracked?Updated 5 months ago

Important Note: The tracking experience for this animal uses representative historical data provided to us by our partners at SAFE Red Wolf to honor this Red Wolf’s life and legacy. We feel these stories deserve to be told to grow support and awareness for the world's most endangered wolf, while not jeopardizing the safety of the fewer than 20 wild Red Wolves remaining.

“Red Wolves wear orange radio collars that transmit by VHF (very high frequency) and/or GPS (global positioning system). Each animal’s radio collar has a unique frequency that transmits a signal allowing them to be located. VHF tracking involves using directional antennae to listen for a signal given off by a transmitter in the radio collar. The operator rotates the antennae until they can determine which direction the signal is coming from the loudest. That process is repeated from at least 3 different locations, allowing the operator to put together the direction of the signal from each spot and accurately determine the Red Wolf’s location.  GPS radio collars transmit the location of the Red Wolf via satellites on a set schedule, and biologists can then view that data.”

To learn more, visit our partner directly at fws.gov/project/red-wolf-recovery-program.