Red Wolves Released into Wild in North Carolina

In late April and early May, four adult captive red wolves were released into the Red Wolf Recovery Area in eastern North Carolina, and four red wolf pups born in captivity were fostered to a wild female red wolf in the recovery area. This marks the first time since 1998 that adult red wolves were released directly into the recovery area from captive breeding facilities and the first time since 2014 that red wolf pups from the facilities have been fostered into the wild. This remarkable news is a direct result of a federal court ruling won by AWI and its allies in January that required the US Fish and Wildlife Service to prepare a plan to release captive red wolves into the wild to avoid irreversible harm to the highly endangered population during ongoing litigation. This release is pursuant to that plan. This infusion of wolves more than doubles the known wild population, and we hope it marks the beginning of a recommitment by the USFWS (after prolonged neglect) to recover the world’s most endangered canid.

Program Terms: Terrestrial Wildlife

AWI Quarterly Terms: Quick Read