Red Wolf Recovery Program

10/01/2025

Due to the federal government shutdown, this account is not being actively updated.
For more information, please visit:

Operations in the Absence of Appropriations

10/01/2025

Due to the federal government shutdown, this account is not being actively updated.

For more information, please visit:

Operations in the Absence of Appropriations

09/12/2025

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is hosting a virtual informational meeting to update the public on the Red Wolf Recovery Program, including revitalized recovery efforts for the species, the status of recovery efforts in the eastern North Carolina Red Wolf Population area, coyote management strategies, and future planning efforts for the recovery of the species. This meeting is part of our continuing efforts to increase communication and transparency on Red Wolf recovery.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. EST. Please use the following link to register for the meeting. We want to hear from you. Please submit any questions you have about Red Wolves or the Red Wolf Recovery Program using the link. We will use these questions to shape our presentation. You will also have a chance to submit questions during the meeting.

https://empsi.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_03rsfO3AQDqUqjsJWi-SzQ

Please forward this notification to anyone you think may be interested. We look forward to this opportunity to connect with you.

Photo courtesy of Debra Christein

08/11/2025

New updates available on the USFWS Red Wolf Recovery Program website! Link provided in the comments.

11/21/2024

Significant and sacred. That is the Red Wolf - the Red Grandfather.

Editor’s Note: The capitalization of Red Wolf acknowledges the importance of the species to the Cherokee Nation as a gesture of respect for the cultural importance the Red Wolf holds within the Cherokee Nation Tribe and other Tribes. Significant and sacred. That is the Red Wolf – the Red Grandfa...

11/01/2024

📢Exciting news! In a groundbreaking step for the Red Wolf Recovery Program, the Red Wolf Center in Columbia, North Carolina, has welcomed its first-ever breeding pair of Red Wolves!🎉 This historic event, a collaboration between North Carolina Wildlife Federation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Red Wolf SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) Program marks a significant milestone in efforts to conserve and protect the critically endangered Red Wolf.🐾

The 2-year old male Red Wolf (2445M) from the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Missouri, has joined a 5-year old female Red Wolf (2292F) from Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro, North Carolina, at the Red Wolf Center. Together, this pair has a chance to have the first litter of Red Wolf pups born in the facility's public enclosure, a contributing step in both the ongoing recovery efforts in the wild and the 2024/2025 Red Wolf SAFE Breeding and Transfer Plan. The hope is for a few pups from the litter to be fostered into a wild Red Wolf den next spring when they are just a few weeks old. This plan plays a vital role in maintaining genetic diversity among Red Wolves and supporting their recovery in Eastern North Carolina.

Make sure to check out the Center's web cam to see these two amazing animals! 🐾Better yet...come visit in person when you are in Columbia, North Carolina!

https://ncwf.org/wildlife/red-wolves/ -cam

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/pocosin-lakes/visit-us/locations/red-wolf-center

09/18/2024

Join us virtually for updates on Red Wolf recovery efforts from USFWS on September 24: https://ow.ly/J1rQ50ToC0r

Virtual informational meeting on Tuesday, September 24, 6-8 p.m. EST

We look forward to sharing our information and speaking with you!

For the latest information from USFWS on Red Wolf recovery, visit: https://ow.ly/U56150ToAaj, https://ow.ly/Z7rE50ToAai

You can also find official USFWS updates at our Red Wolf Recovery Program page.

Want to help Red Wolves? To report possible Red Wolf sightings and information, please contact: [email protected] or call the red wolf hotline at 1-855-4-Wolves (1-855-496-5837).

📸Red wolf by B. Bartel/USFWS

05/03/2024

🐾📣🎉BREAKING NEWS!!🎉📣🐾

On April 18, 2024, the Red Wolf Recovery Program confirmed the birth of a wild litter of Red Wolf pups in the Milltail area of Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. While this is the third year in a row for a litter in that area, it was far from a given that it would occur this year after the tragic loss of 2323 (the previous breeding male in the Milltail family group) in September 2023.

In a bold attempt to create a new breeding pair, an acclimation pen was quickly constructed in October 2023 within the home range of the resident wild adult female Red Wolf (2225) who birthed the previous two litters. A male Red Wolf (2191), born at Wolf Haven International in Tenino, Washington as part of the Red Wolf SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program, was then placed in it. His release from the pen in late January 2024 was purposefully timed with the breeding season and he and 2225 soon appeared to become a pair.

Close monitoring throughout the winter and early spring began to raise hopes that this somewhat of a longshot new pairing was looking more and more like it was going to be successful. One peek inside the wild den revealed just how successful it was as we counted out 8 small, content Red Wolf pups all cuddled together in a ball! Their eyes not even open yet, the pups were estimated to be about 9 days old. They were quickly examined, microchipped for future identification, and cheek swabbed for genetics before we hurriedly retreated from the den, allowing 2225 to quickly return to continue caring for the pups.

No further attempts will be made to go into or anywhere near the den since the best thing for these pups now is to give them the space and solitude they need to be raised in the wild. This third consecutive Milltail litter, along with the many other actions being taken by USFWS and our partners, are key to the continued growth of the population and the recovery of Red Wolves.



Photo and video credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Red Wolf Recovery Program

10/19/2023

The wild Red Wolf population suffered a significant loss on September 26, 2023, with the mortality of 2323, the breeding male of the Milltail Pack on Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. Although the cause of death has not been officially determined, it is a suspected vehicle strike on Highway 64. Before his death, the Milltail Pack had been drawn to a roadkill bear carcass on Highway 64 in late August. The pack was very rarely near that highway based on extensive monitoring of the pack with radio telemetry and remote sensing cameras. However, since they found the roadkill, they have been traveling to that area periodically.

Please drive carefully throughout Eastern North Carolina, particularly where you see mobile traffic signs about Red Wolves. Traveling with caution in these areas and slowing down for Red Wolves – and all wildlife – is one way you can make a positive difference and save lives.

For the removal of dead animals (other than Red Wolves or coyotes) on state-maintained roads, call the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) at 1-877-368-4968

Contact the Red Wolf Recovery program if you have any questions or concerns, or to report an injured or dead canid. Red Wolf Hotline: 1-855-4-WOLVES (1-855-496-5837) or [email protected].

Photo: Trail cam footage of Red Wolf 2323 Credit:USFWS

10/19/2023

Red Wolves are amazing and we know that folks are really excited to get a glimpse of one. And, sometimes the enthusiasm of appreciating a rare species can unintentionally put the species at risk. As the most visible known pack of Red Wolves, the Milltail Pack at Alligator River NWR has been under a lot of pressure with visitors following them in vehicles and on foot to view and photograph them. This has led to an unnatural comfort level of the Milltail Pack around people and vehicles. Human habituation, or acclimating to the presence of people, reduces wildlife’s normal elusiveness and fear responses. Instead of avoiding areas of human activity, and fleeing at the sight of people and activity, the animals may choose to approach and/or remain closer than is natural. Acclimating to people may increase the likelihood of incidents, such as the recent mortality of 2323, where a Red Wolves’ normal response would be to avoid the area.

Graphic: Keep Wildlife Wild, showcasing the appropriate distance to remain from Red Wolves Credit: Morgan Lewis/USFWS

09/29/2023

We’ve finalized the plan to help recover “America’s Red Wolf”. Here is where you can find it at the link in our comments!

We’re committed to working closely with public and private partners to ensure these charismatic canids endure in the wild for future generations. Ongoing collaboration and community input are key to successful conservation. Together, we can create a safe, healthy and sustainable environment where people and Red Wolves thrive and coexist.

Photo: Red Wolf at Species Survival Plan facility, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium (Tacoma, WA). Credit: B. Bartel/USFWS

, ,