Red Wolf Coalition

09/03/2026

https://ncwf.org/blog/red-wolf-connectivity/
"Every successful litter, every restored acre of habitat, every willing landowner, and every safe wildlife crossing strengthens the connections that Red Wolves need to survive.

Recovery doesn’t happen in isolated places. It happens when landscapes, people, science, and wildlife remain connected."

This spring, four litters of critically endangered Red Wolf pups were born in eastern North Carolina, marking an important milestone in the recovery of a species that once stood on

09/01/2026

https://www.stlpr.org/health-science-environment/2026-09-01/st-louis-zoo-endangered-american-red-wolf-pups-north-carolina?fbclid=IwY2xjawUEGHJwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMWN6c1I0VGg1SFRrMGoxVHNzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeWMX_4FHM4aESLIXjwV54MuqLAoOa20R2gaASZtGFkoIcvl1CJutyNvbkIWw_aem_9QNrx7kXpvA7Udzm0_9qrwSo

Some GOOD News

There are currently fewer than 40 remaining American red wolf pups in the wild, after they've been hunted to the brink of extinction.

08/31/2026

Kids are headed back to the classroom, and in many jurisdictions, school is already open. Observations by researchers and citizen scientists confirm the notion that young wolves earn to hunt successfully through observation of the strategies practiced by the adults and by trial and error. Play and games among siblings are preparation for hunting and killing prey. Becoming skilled at catching large animals like deer takes practice, and young wolves make lots of errors, some of which cause them injury and even their lives.

Graphic by Mitch Rand

08/28/2026

To say this is devastating news isn't hyperbole. It's the truth. For the people who love and value Red Wolves, this loss is profound on a personal level. It's not an exaggeration to say this is like losing a family member or a cherished friend. On another level, the loss of 2503F is a blow to Red Wolf conservation efforts. Every Red Wolf matters for a critically endangered species. However, we have to turn grief into action and honor 2503F by recommitting ourselves to the hard work of restoring Red Wolves to some portions of their historical range. We can't give up hope, and we can't give up on the Reds. And we won't. That is our promise to 2503F and to all Red Wolves.

08/24/2026

Another "must read" for all Red Wolf supporters, friends anad advocates!
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/7/3/34

Can we predict which captive-bred Red Wolves will thrive after release to the wild?🐺

A new pilot study conducted at the North Carolina Zoo by the zoo, the Wolf Conservation Center, and other partners reveals that simple, non-invasive behavioral observations during routine feeding can identify levels of habituation levels in Red Wolves.

The key finding was that older Red Wolves were more likely to be human-tolerant, suggesting habituation over time. This poses a risk for releases to the wild, as overly tolerant Red Wolves face greater risks of conflict and vehicles collisions.

This research lays the groundwork for ongoing research conducted by the Center and collaborators for a practical screening tool to select the best candidates for release, boosting the recovery efforts for the world's most endangered wolf.

Read more: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/7/3/34

08/23/2026

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/news/we-can-freeze-human-reproductive-cells-can-we-do-same-red-wolves?fbclid=IwZnRzaAT4EEpwZG9mBWZkaWQWUNCvuNcvj2drD4JMkvnNX5Q-YXpwp2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR6ODhP6laq4dNKaRkMQd-uBCxsPDRaMrG3BY1rM850XoCmVctP5dfUjoIqkwA_aem_ogarMqth-3JTKwfPeFQlcA
More weekend reading on how science is working on behalf of Red Wolves!

With only a few hundred red wolves left, Smithsonian scientist Jennifer Nagashima is pioneering new ways to preserve their genetic diversity.

08/21/2026

https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wlb3.01671
This article analyzes spatial and temporal patterns of Red Wolf deaths to offer concrete strategies for protecting the critically endangered species from vehicle strikes. Reducing deaths along U.S. Highway 64 through the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is an immediate priority. However, the authors note that 92.31% of historic road mortalities actually occurred on low-volume roads near where many pups are born.

Recommended mitigation strategies include:
1. Crossings and Fencing - Constructing wildlife underpasses, overpasses, and directional fencing along high-speed corridors like US-64.
2. Low-Volume Road Tactics - Expanding safety measures to secondary and low-volume rural roads to protect wolves across their broader range.
3. Complementary Actions - Enforcing lower speed limits, removing road-killed carcasses that attract scavengers, and utilizing warning signs or reflective identifiers.

In 1980, the red wolf Canis rufus was declared extinct in the wild. However, starting in 1987, a captive breeding program allowed for a reintroduction effort in and around Alligator River National Wi...

08/21/2026

https://www.fws.gov/media/red-wolf-recovery-implementation-strategy-ris
The Red Wolf Recovery Implementation Strategy (RIS) is finished and AVAILABLE ONLINE - click on the link! It's a MUST READ! For those who might not know, the RIS is an operational plan that takes the recovery actions developed in the Recovery Plan and breaks them into specific, on-the-ground activities, focusing on what work needs to be done to implement those actions and who may contribute to those activities.

Graphic by Mitch Rand

08/20/2026

Carrying Capacity

The crushing power of a wolf's jaws is legendary. But those jaws, armed with 42 multi-purpose teeth, can gently cradle a wayward pup and carry it back to safety or transport a youngster for miles if the family is moving to an alternate den site. Males rarely carry pups, but sometimes they do.

The first photo shows Red Wolf Cary (mother of Carolina) carrying the tiny but adventurous and feisty Rocket. Rocket was less than half the size of his littermates - until he grew up, that is. Now, at age 7, he is a brawny powerhouse. In the wild, it is likely he would not have survived, but at the Museum of Life and Science, he was not out-competed for access to food.

Pups are not harmed by the picket fence of teeth that surrounds them when they are being carried. They instinctively relax and go limp for their ride courtesy of Mom (usually).

Photo #1 - Robert Wilcox
Photo #2 - Courtney Cawley
Photo #3 - Robert Wilcox

08/19/2026

https://wildlife.org/qa-can-red-wolves-thrive-on-military-lands/

"The article fails to mention that the USFWS RWP already engages in a management action, sterilization, that is reducing hybrid litters between Red Wolves and coyotes. This management action also helps to reduce coyote reproduction." ~ Kim Wheeler, RWC Executive Director

Bases with lots of land could be the key to the endangered canid’s recovery