Four Wild Red Wolf Litters Born in North Carolina — Best Breeding Year Since 2013

The US Fish and Wildlife Service and Center for Biological Diversity announced that four litters of the critically endangered red wolf (Canis rufus) were born in the wild in eastern North Carolina in 2026, with an estimated 12–16 pups surviving their first months — the strongest breeding season since 2013. Three litters were born in the wild in the Alligator River and Pocosin Lakes refuges; a fourth was born on private land through the 'Prey for the Pack' program, which pays landowners to allow red wolves to den on their property. Only about 22 adult red wolves remain in the wild, the world's only wild red wolf population, after the population crashed from a peak of 130 in 2011 to as few as seven due to gunshot mortality and policy rollbacks. Vehicle collisions along Highway 64 remain a leading threat; North Carolina has secured a $31 million federal grant to build wildlife crossings to reduce roadkill. 'Red wolves are thriving in the wild thanks to the dedication of the Fish and Wildlife Service, landowners and communities working together,' said Will Harlan, Southeast director at the Center for Biological Diversity.