Help Save the American Red Wolf

The American Red Wolf is the world's most endangered wolf species. Its current population numbers around 300, an amazing number since only 17 Red Wolves remained alive when our conservation efforts began.

A collaboration that has included some 50 of America's top zoos and the United States Fish & Wildlife Service has made this remarkable recovery possible, boosting the Red Wolf's total population size and setting the stage for the Wildlife Service to begin reintroducing the Red Wolf to a small portion of its former range. To accomplish this feat, the Service had to remove all 17 wild wolves from the wild and place them with the zoo community to carry out a carefully managed breeding program. 

The North Carolina Zoo has been a chief contributor to these breeding efforts. It houses the world's second-largest breeding group of American Red Wolves. Further, North Carolina is the only place in the world where Red Wolves roam free. The Service manages a reintroduction program in eastern North Carolina, where some 25 or so wild Red Wolves have settled and are raising families as part of this recovery effort. 

To keep this recovery moving forward and to ensure the genetic diversity of the population, the recovery program wants to add 100 animals to the total population. When that happens, the Service hopes to start a second wild recovery site for the wolves. To meet that need, the zoo community must build and operate additional breeding facilities for wolves. At present, the breeding sites are at 97 percent capacity. 

The North Carolina Zoo wants to add six additional breeding and acclimation sites at a remote location on the Zoo grounds, while continuing to provide for 20 to 30 Red Wolves enrolled in the breeding and reintroduction programs.  

Your gift to the Zoo's American Red Wolf will help us ensure this Wolf continues to thrive at our Zoo and that we can continue to help the species return to its rightful place in the wild.