The sun hasn’t fully risen on the Albemarle Peninsula when shadows begin to move through the morning mist. They’re elusive, almost ghost-like in their movements. Yet their presence marks something remarkable happening in North Carolina’s coastal plains – a species once declared extinct is learning to roam wild .
These are red wolves, and their story reads like a conservation thriller with more plot twists than anyone expected. Recent estimates suggest approximately 16-20 red wolves are believed to remain in the wild in North Carolina. While these numbers might seem small, they represent something much bigger: hope. Let’s dive into the fascinating world of red wolf recovery, where science meets determination, and where every howl matters.
A Species Back from the Dead
The red wolf’s journey reads like something from a wildlife fairy tale, except the dragon was extinction itself. Government biologists began capturing the last wild red wolves in Texas and Louisiana in the 1970s to start a captive breeding program and eventually, in 1980, declared the red wolf extinct in the wild.
Think about that for a moment. Imagine being so close to losing a species forever that you literally had to declare it extinct. Over a period of 6 years, more than 400 wolf-like canids were captured in Louisiana and Texas, but of this number, only 43 were considered red wolves and were placed in captivity. Further, breeding experiments revealed that only 17 of the 43 were true red wolves, and only 14 of these successfully bred in captivity. Fourteen wolves stood between an entire species and complete disappearance.
The Great Return Begins
Starting in 1987, USFWS released red wolves into Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in eastern North Carolina. This wasn’t just any release – this was the first time anyone had ever tried reintroducing a large carnivore species back into the wild after it went extinct. Nobody had a playbook for this.
The early results looked promising. Within 6 years, the population had over 50 individuals and was rising steadily, their numbers bolstered by new releases of animals from the captive breeding program every year as well as natural breeding of the red wolves in the wild. Red wolves hit a peak of around 120 individuals in 2006 and remained around this level until 2012, when the population began to decline rapidly due to conflict with some local residents resulting in high rates of illegal hunting.
The Dark Years
What followed was perhaps the most challenging period in red wolf conservation history. For political reasons, the USFWS halted releases of red wolves from captivity in 2014 and stopped the coyote management (sterilizations and stricter coyote hunting regulations) that had been employed to try to limit hybridization between red wolves and coyotes.
Furthermore, in 2017 and 2018, only four pups were born in the wild each year, and then from 2019 to 2021 there was no natural breeding in the wild population. As a result of these factors, the wild red wolf population dropped to an estimated 17–20 total animals by 2021, with at times only eight radiocollared and confirmed adult red wolves remaining in North Carolina. It felt like watching a species slip through our fingers all over .
A New Dawn for Red Wolf Recovery
Sometimes the most important changes happen quietly, behind the scenes. “Reintroducing a large carnivore into the wild had never been done before, and the focus of this program in the beginning was almost entirely biological,” Weller said, according to minutes of a management update meeting in September 2024. “But the social aspects, the community engagement, and human dimension – those were the cracks in our program’s foundation.”
“We cannot recover this species on our own,” Weller said during this week’s virtual update. “Our work depends on a pretty complex network of organizations, agencies, communities and individuals.” This shift in thinking – from purely biological to collaborative – might be the key that unlocks red wolf recovery.
Breeding Success Stories in 2025
The numbers tell an encouraging story when you know how to read them. In the 2024-2025 breeding season, 29 breeding pairs were established and 43 pups in 12 litters were born – of which 26 survived, adding to the SAFE population. While these are captive wolves, their genetics will be crucial for wild releases.
Even more exciting? Historically, whelping success was around 25%; for the last 3 years success has been 45%, 38%, and 46%. Historically, pup survival was around 65%; for the last 3 years, survival has been 72%, 79%, and 67%. Recent reports indicate there are approximately 280 Red Wolves in SAFE facilities across the country. That’s a solid foundation for future recovery efforts.
Wild Success st All Odds
The wild population is writing its own success stories. Her daughter, 2503F, has taken her place and paired with 2191M. He was born at Wolf Haven International as part of the SAFE American Red Wolf program and released into the wild in January 2024. Together, they had a litter of eight pups – four females and four males – in mid-April.
All evidence from our monitoring indicates that the litter continues to do well and at least 5 of the pups are known to have survived thus far. Another pair’s story ended tragically when in mid-February 2025, 2443M was struck by a vehicle on the refuge and did not survive. Yet in early April, 2359F gave birth to a litter of three pups – two females and one male. Monitoring through tracking and remote cameras indicates that the litter is thriving in the wild.
Community Engagement Changes Everything
We want to highlight the progress of conservation efforts and acknowledge that these achievements would be impossible without the collaboration of our partners and the landowners of Eastern North Carolina. This acknowledgment represents a fundamental shift in how red wolf recovery operates.
“We want to work with landowners to make this work. We don’t want to impose it.” Madison said that only about half of the red wolves roam within Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge land. Working with private landowners isn’t just helpful – it’s essential. In October 2024, reports from the public of an injured Red Wolf led to us capturing 2409F, who was found with a severe, potentially life-threatening leg injury, likely from an animal bite. Public involvement saves lives.
Wildlife Crossings: A $25 Million Lifeline
The Federal Highway Administration announced today that the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will receive $25 million to build new wildlife crossing structures on U.S. 64 to help save the endangered Red Wolf from extinction. This isn’t just about wolves – it’s about reimagining how wildlife and humans can coexist.
Six Red Wolves have been killed on U.S. 64 from vehicle strikes in the past five years. Most recently, in June 2024 a breeding male Red Wolf was killed on the highway, a loss which then led to the deaths of his five young pups. The new federal grant from the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program will allow NCDOT to build a series of 11 wildlife underpasses of various sizes along part of U.S. 64 where the road passes through Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.
Political Support Returns
North Carolina’s Wildlife Resources Commission reportedly adopted a new resolution in late 2024, requiring staff to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to collaboratively manage canids on the Albemarle Peninsula (AP) in eastern North Carolina. This might sound bureaucratic, yet it’s huge news for red wolf recovery.
The adopted resolution overturns two regulations that were introduced in 2015 and 1) asked USFWS to declare Red Wolves extinct in the wild and terminate the recovery program, and 2) asked USFWS to remove any Red Wolves that were living on private lands in the five county area of Hyde, Beaufort, Tyrrell, Dare, and Washington counties. At the time, approximately 100 Red Wolves lived in the wild in North Carolina; if USFWS had terminated the program, the entire wild population would have gone extinct.
Looking Forward: Hope on Four Legs
The success of the captive breeding program, along with small but significant gains among the wild population, are renewing hope for the future of the species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a new long-range plan, and if it works, the red wolf could be removed from the federal endangered species list in roughly 50 years.
For the 2025-2026 breeding season, 33 breeding pairs have been recommended. While still far from recovered, more endangered eastern red wolves in northeastern North Carolina are breeding, more pups are surviving, coyote hybridization has been cut, and there are fewer mortalities from vehicle strikes and gunshots. Every small victory builds toward something bigger.
The red wolf’s story isn’t over – it’s just getting to the good part. From fourteen wolves in captivity to hundreds in breeding programs and a slowly growing wild population, this species has shown remarkable resilience. The combination of scientific expertise, community engagement, infrastructure improvements like wildlife crossings, and renewed political support creates the best chance red wolves have had in decades.
Every time a red wolf pup takes its first steps in the North Carolina wilderness, it carries the hopes of an entire conservation movement. These aren’t just statistics or success stories – they’re the future of a species learning to be wild . What do you think about this remarkable comeback story? Tell us in the comments.
Jan loves Wildlife and Animals and is one of the founders of Animals Around The Globe. He holds an MSc in Finance & Economics and is a passionate PADI Open Water Diver. His favorite animals are Mountain Gorillas, Tigers, and Great White Sharks. He lived in South Africa, Germany, the USA, Ireland, Italy, China, and Australia. Before AATG, Jan worked for Google, Axel Springer, BMW and others.
