#wolf conservation

Rare red wolf shot in North Carolina was left alive, drowned in mud

A rare red wolf was found shot in the spine and left alive to drown in the mud in North Carolina.

A necropsy of the animal, which was found in Tyrrell County, showed that its lungs were full of mud, indicating it had been severely injured by the shot but was initially still alive. It had eventually died as it lay in the muddy farm field, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a statement. Animal welfare campaign, Help Ashville Bears, reposted the incident to its Facebook page, and said the wolf had died a gruesome death.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it is offering a $5,000 reward for any information that would lead to “the successful prosecution” of the case.