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Red wolf in North Carolina

The red wolf survives in the wild only in eastern North Carolina, where a recovery programme has run since 1987 in areas including the Alligator River and Pocosin Lakes national wildlife refuges. The main threats are killing by people, hybridisation with coyotes and habitat fragmentation.

According to USFWS, in August 2026 the known wild population comprised 21 collared adults and subadults, with a total estimate of 22-23 adults and subadults plus 14-15 pups. In 2026 four litters with 23 pups were born in the wild; biologists cross-fostered pups between wild litters and litters born in captivity (including at the Saint Louis Zoo) to strengthen genetic diversity. About 241 red wolves live in 45 captive breeding facilities in the United States.

Species

Needs

• habitat
• animal rescue

Who is helping

Organisations that, according to their own publications, work on this event (2). Donations go directly to each organisation's own website - GLOBURNS does not handle payments.

• Red Wolf Coalition (RWC)
  The Red Wolf Coalition in Columbia, North Carolina, works for the survival of the wild red wolf population through education, a depredation compensation programme for…
  Donate on the organisation's website (redwolves.com)
• Wolf Conservation Center (WCC)
  The Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York, breeds critically endangered red and Mexican wolves under the SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) programme and…
  Donate on the organisation's website (nywolf.org)

Sources

• fws.gov fws.gov/project/red-wolf-recovery-program
• fws.gov fws.gov/species/red-wolf-canis-rufus
• en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_wolf
• redwolves.com redwolves.com/newsite/
• nywolf.org nywolf.org/

Seed record, before editorial verification. Every number links to its source; report errors on the Corrections page. Methodology · Corrections

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