Red wolves are getting a rare piece of good news in North Carolina.

Four litters of red wolf pups have been born in the state so far this year, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Red Wolf Recovery Program. Between 12 and 16 pups survived their first few months.

One litter was born on private land owned by a member of the Prey for the Pack Program, which financially helps landowners who allow red wolves on their property. The other three litters were born in the wild.

“It’s inspiring to see these underdogs making another incredible comeback,” Will Harlan, Southeast director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “These pups provide real hope for the future of red wolves.”

The red wolf was classified in 1967 as “threatened with extinction” under the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966. The species was hunted nearly to extinction in the 1970s, then began recovering through the federal Endangered Species Act, the Red Wolf Recovery Program, and the Saving Animals from Extinction Program.

Conservationists reintroduced red wolves to eastern North Carolina in 1987. That marked the first carnivorous species declared extinct to be successfully reintroduced.

By 2011, at least 130 red wolves roamed in the wild. As of July, there are 22 known wild red wolves in eastern North Carolina’s Alligator River and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuges and nearby private lands, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

The agency also works with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to manage 295 captive red wolves.

Since 2020, vehicle collisions have been the leading cause of death for the species. Eight red wolves have died after vehicle strikes in the past six years. Nearly all road deaths happen along Highway 64, which runs through the wolves’ refuges.

Last week, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein signed a state budget that allocates $10.2 million every two years to build wildlife crossings under major highways. The state has also raised $31.25 million in federal and state grants and private donations for crossings underneath U.S. Route 64 to protect red wolves, black bears, river otters, and spotted turtles.

In August 2025, North Carolina Democratic Representative Valerie Foushee and Republican Representative Greg Murphy filed a resolution in Congress backing red wolf repopulation and recovery efforts.

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