Should North Carolina Allow Coyote Hunting In Red Wolf Country?

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On Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013, three environmental groups filed a lawsuit in federal court against North Carolina wildlife regulators for permitting coyote hunting in counties known to host the world’s last wild populations of red wolves.

A story from CBS affiliate WRAL says a state judge previously blocked a temporary rule that that allowed coyote hunting in a five-county region known as the Red Wolf Recovery Area, but the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission approved a permanent regulation this past July.

The groups claim hunters can easily mistake red wolves for coyotes, which according to The Southern Environmental Law Center, has happened 20 times since 2008.