Down To Earth: The Extinction Crisis, Wolves

This Saturday, NBC 7's Dagmar Midcap will take viewers inside the wolf’s den!

The next Down To Earth: The Extinction Crisis special follows two of the most critically endangered mammals on earth.

24/7 San Diego news stream: Watch NBC 7 free wherever you are

Wolves, are fearsome creatures of the night, shrouded in legend and myth that pose a danger to us all right? Not even close! Dagmar explains the misinformation and even public campaigns that have pushed these Apex predators to the brink of extinction.

Their survival as a species now depends on captive breeding programs.

Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.

WATCH: @DagmarNBCSD's latest Down to Earth special is all about the rarest wolves on Earth.

Tune in to NBC 7 at 4:30 p.m. on March 13 to learn more. https://t.co/BW4K4o1eqM pic.twitter.com/5DaslZPhMT
— NBC 7 San Diego (@nbcsandiego) March 5, 2021

Dagmar goes to the California Wolf Center for a nose-to-nose vet check of one of the rarest creatures on earth.

Dagmar's team tracked the progress of Mexican Grey wolf pups and their very first vet check through one full year of their lives culminating in the addition of medically implanted contraceptives! Few than 600 Mexican Wolves remain in the world so why would we not want these wolves to breed? They'll also explore the reasons behind this procedure.

Local

Daylight Saving Time Oct 7

Daylight saving time is ending. Why are we still ‘falling back' anyway?

Tijuana River Valley 1 hour ago

IBWC holds public meeting in Coronado on Tijuana Valley sewage crisis

The ultimate goal is to release them into the wild – but legal red tape prevents the release of adults so Dagmar will show you a very delicate plan for introducing the pups to nature.

The next Down to Earth Extinction crisis special will air on March 13. NBC 7's Dagmar Midcap has more

But as critical as their status is something far more alarming is occurring in the Southeastern U.S.: The rarest wolf on earth.

Dagmar and her team began filming this documentary in 2019 when there were fewer than 22 American Red Wolves in the wild and as they finished in 2021only 10 remained. The primary reason was gunshot mortality.

Red wolves were only ever found in the United States. The American Red Wolf truly is America’s wolf.

Dagmar will take you through physical exams of the most endangered wolf on this planet. And dispel the myths and fear surrounding this misunderstood creature and why they are so important for our health.

The Down To Earth: The Extinction Crisis airs on Saturday, March 13 at 4:30 p.m.

To find more information and links to the wolf centers, here:

California Wolf Center

Endangered Wolf Center

If you missed Down to Earth, The Extinction Crisis on NBC 7, catch up below:

The American Red Wolf is the most endangered wolf in the world and is native to the United States, it’s often referred to as “America’s Wolf.” To see what’s being done to help save this species, Dagmar Midcap visited the Endangered Wolf Center in Missouri and had the unique opportunity to get hands on with wolf pups.

The Mexican Gray wolf once roamed freely throughout the hills of the southwestern United States, but by the 1970’s their population had dropped to fewer than 20 wolves total. The California Wolf Center in Julian is one of the premier conservations and captive breeding facilities, and Dag mar Midcap recently went into their wolf enclosures with experts to capture and care for wolf pups.

Dagmar Midcap provides an up close, sometimes just a few feet away, look at how the California Wolf Center tries to increase the population of Mexican Gray wolves through a unique contraception procedure.

Dagmar Midcap shows us how captive breed wolf pups are placed in the wild and provides information on how you can get involved in the effort to save wolves.