Island of the Wolves
Filming for our new show Off the Couch Into Creation has led us on some amazing adventures, and our latest trip to St. Vincent Island was no exception!
We recently found out that a pair of extremely rare wolves known as Red Wolves live on an uninhabited island off the coast of Florida. Red Wolves are not only the rarest wild dog, but one of the rarest mammals in the world! They live in North Carolina, with only around 20 individuals still alive in the wild. A male and female were placed on the St. Vincent island to help increase the longevity of the dying species.
Once we found out about these cryptic creatures in our backyard of Florida, we couldn't resist the urge to fill up our boat the Don Treader with fuel and cruise off for St. Vincent Island. Our goal? To hopefully get a glimpse of this amazing and very rare creature!
Because St. Vincent Island is roughly 10 miles long, and with only 2 individuals on it, it made for quite the venture. Not only did the island host the Red Wolves, but it also was the home for many other beautiful creatures, like white tail deer, bald eagles, and snowy egrets. Although we enjoyed these awesome creatures, we quietly moved on to observe more.
Growing up in the jungle, us brothers were well versed in the art of looking for cryptic creatures, and as we've discovered before, cryptic animals are cryptic for a reason. The wolves proved no different, and it took our combined efforts to stealthily move through the island's various ecosystems, such as the woods, marshes, grasslands, and the beach, in hopes of a brief glimpse. It was important that these wolves never knew we were there.
One of our biggest takeaways from our trip was being reminded of the importance of stewarding God's creation. God gave Adam, our forefather, the mandate to steward and have dominion over the earth. In our fallen state, this dominion and stewardship is often flawed and neglected. But we nevertheless are still image bearers, the crown of God's creation, and as such we must take care of the world He has given us. Christians have more reason than anyone to watch over the different animals and ecosystems God has made, and so conservation is something that is close to our hearts. The initiative to help preserve the Red Wolf species at St. Vincent Island is something that us brothers respect and encourage.
The million dollar question though is, "did we see them?" Well, to find that out you'll have to wait until the release of the show. But I will say this, the Red Wolves without a doubt won our respect as we traversed the huge island. We are grateful for God's amazing creativity in designing so many magnificent creatures like the Red Wolf, and are also thankful for the conservation efforts of those who are aiding the Red Wolf's survival.
