North Carolina is home to the only wild population of red wolves in the world. An estimated 15 live within the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge on the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula. (Photo credit John Froschauer)
Two members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation introduced a bipartisan resolution on Monday to back red wolf repopulation and recovery efforts.
Filed by Democratic Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04) and Republican Congressman Greg Murphy (NC-03), the resolution asks for continued support and approval of federal programs and initiatives, such as wildlife corridors, to aid in protecting North Carolina’s native red wolf population.
North Carolina is home to the only wild population of red wolves in the world. An estimated 15 live within the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge on the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula.
The species has declined by more than 85% in the 2010s from roughly 130 to 15 wolves, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Federation.
“It is imperative that we ensure that red wolves do not go extinct,” Foushee (NC-04) said in a statement.
Red wolves once roamed throughout the eastern seaboard, spanning from New York to Florida, and as far west as Texas, the resolution read.
Threats to the survival of red wolves include habitat loss, collisions with vehicles, gunshot mortality, and hybridization with coyotes, according to the Wildlife Federation.
“With the only wild population of red wolves being located in Eastern North Carolina, it’s vital that we recognize the preservation efforts,” said Murphy.
There are around 270 captive red wolves around the country at zoological parks and repopulation programs, according to the resolution.
In 1967, the red wolf was classified as “threatened with extinction” under the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966.
Recovery efforts began after this. The Red Wolf Recovery Program was established in 1973, leading to the first-ever reintroduction of a carnivorous species declared extinct in the wild in 1987, according to the resolution.
The Red Wolf Recovery Program is the lone federal effort dedicated to restoring the species’ wild population.
The program confirmed four wild litters of red wolf pups were born recently on the Albemarle Peninsula, Defenders of Wildlife announced on Friday.
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