Americas Rarest Wolf Went Extinct in the Wild. Now Its Back.

Red Wolves Return to North Carolina

In 1980, the red wolf officially disappeared from the wild. Every last one had been captured and sent to a zoo in Washington State.

Today, their descendants are howling again in the swamps of eastern North Carolina, the only place on Earth where you can hear them. The comeback has been slow, messy, and nearly derailed more than once.

But the 14 wolves that started it all have now grown into a population of nearly 300, and the story of how they got there involves everything from foster moms to sterilized coyotes.

Only 14 Wolves Left by 1980

By the late 1970s, red wolf populations were decimated by the 1960s due to intensive predator control programs and loss of habitat. The last survivors clung to life in the coastal swamps of Texas and Louisiana.

In a last-ditch effort, biologist Curtis Carley captured the remaining wolves and removed them to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium to jumpstart a captive breeding population.

Of the original 43 animals captured, only 17 were considered pure red wolves and since three were unable to breed, 14 became the breeding stock for the captive-breeding program.

A Zoo in Tacoma Saves the Species

In the early 1970s, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, in association with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, established a captive-breeding program using 14 red wolves. The first litters were born in 1977.

Keepers worked to keep the wolves wild at heart, limiting human contact so the animals wouldn’t lose their natural instincts.

The American red wolf population alive today, consisting of about 265 wolves under human care and about 22 wolves in the wild, originated from this program founded with only 14 individuals.

First Release in North Carolina, 1987

In 1987, four pairs of red wolves were reintroduced to the wild on the 120,000-acre Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern North Carolina.

This marked the first time large carnivores were reintroduced to a landscape after being declared extinct in the wild. The experiment worked.

Their reintroduction provided an important model for subsequent reintroduction programs to restore gray wolves, Mexican gray wolves, California condors and black-footed ferrets to the wild.

The Population Peaked at 130

For years, the red wolf program was considered a success story.

Captive-bred red wolves were released into the wild every year between 1987 and 2014, which helped boost the wild population to nearly 150 animals.

By 2006, around 130 wolves roamed the refuge and surrounding private lands.

Biologists developed techniques to manage the population, including strategies to prevent crossbreeding with coyotes. The red wolf had a real foothold again.

Then Everything Fell Apart

Tragically, this progress came to a screeching halt and the population crashed due to a dramatic spike in illegal poaching and vehicle collisions, along with devastating management failures.

The government stopped releasing captive wolves in 2014 and halted programs that had kept coyote hybridization in check. By 2020, only seven wolves were left in the wild.

The species that had been pulled back from extinction was headed there again.

A Lawsuit Changes Everything

Conservation groups sued the Fish and Wildlife Service, and in 2023 they reached a landmark settlement. The agency has reinvigorated its conservation efforts for America’s wild red wolves under the agreement.

The agency pledged to continue the releases and provide annual updates, with input from wolf researchers, for 8 years. Releases resumed, and the wild population slowly started climbing back up.

Foster Moms Never Reject Pups

One of the most effective recovery tools is pup fostering.

Since 2002, the Red Wolf Recovery Program has been successfully fostering pups into wild litters to help increase the genetic diversity of this critically endangered species.

Zoo-born pups under two weeks old are placed into wild dens while the mother is away. The attempts have been a great success: no wild wolf mother has ever been known to reject a foster pup.

The pups learn to hunt and survive from their wild families.

Sterilized Coyotes Hold Territory

Coyotes moved into red wolf territory after the original wolves disappeared, and they readily breed with red wolves.

Biologists capture and sterilize coyotes via vasectomy or tubal ligation, then release the sterile coyote at its place of capture to act as a territorial placeholder until the animal is replaced by dispersing red wolves.

There are currently more than 50 sterilized coyotes in the five-county area where the wild red wolf population roams, and no hybrid litters have been found for the past three years.

52 Zoos Keep the Backup Population

As of August 2025, there are approximately 280 red wolves in SAFE facilities across the country.

The SAFE program coordinates breeding across 52 partner zoos and wildlife centers, carefully managing genetics so the captive population stays healthy.

All red wolves are descended from just 14 founders, which makes genetic management critical. These facilities serve as a safety net and a source of wolves for future releases.

Farmers Get Paid to Help Wolves

Prey for the Pack is a habitat improvement program available to private landowners interested in and committed to improving wildlife habitats on their property.

To be considered for the cost-share program, private landowners must commit to improving a pre-identified amount of wildlife habitat on their property and maintaining that habitat in the improved state for 10 years.

The program helps create better conditions for deer, rabbits, and other prey that wolves depend on.

2025 Brings the Best News in Years

With 18 known adult red wolves, the population has increased by more than 150% since that low in 2020, and this year marks the most breeding pairs, most litters, and most pups in the wild in at least the last five years.

The news of the red wolf pups comes two years after conservation groups and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a historic settlement to recommit to the conservation and recovery of the world’s only wild red wolf population.

The species isn’t safe yet, but for the first time in years, the numbers are moving in the right direction.

Visiting Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina

The refuge is one of the only places in the world where you may see endangered red wolves in the wild.

The refuge offers guided programs on the endangered red wolf, beginning with an introduction to the history and biology of the species, followed by a drive through wild wolf territory.

Tours meet at the Creef Cut Wildlife Trail parking lot on Highway 64, about six miles west of Manns Harbor.

The refuge is open year-round during daylight hours, and summer howling programs let you listen for wolves after dark. Bring bug spray and a flashlight.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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