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Red wolf M1566 (aka Smokey) represents the Wolf Conservation Center’s active participation to save a species from the brink of extinction. The WCC is one of a network of facilities participating in the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan - a national initiative whose primary purpose is to support the reestablishment of red wolves in the wild through captive breeding, public education, and research. The red wolf is one of the world’s most endangered wild canids. Once common throughout the southeastern United States, red wolf populations were decimated by the 1960s due to intensive predator control programs and loss of habitat. A remnant population of red wolves was found along the Gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana. After being declared an endangered species in 1973, efforts were initiated to locate and capture as many wild red wolves as possible. Of the 17 remaining wolves captured by biologists, 14 became the founders of a successful captive breeding program. Consequently, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service declared red wolves extinct in the wild in 1980. By 1987, enough red wolves were bred in captivity to begin a restoration program on Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern North Carolina. Red wolves are an American icon that makes our country’s wild lands whole and healthy. And the red wolf’s homecoming to America’s Southeast remained a significant milestone not only for the rare species but for endangered wildlife conservation. The wild population peaked at an estimated 130 wolves in 2006 and remained above 100 for several years. Data shows 15 or more wolves have died in each of the past 3 years from a variety of reasons including gunshot. It’s generally illegal to kill endangered animals. Unfortunately, in 2014 when USFWS halted all key management activity including captive-to-wild releases, the wild red wolf population plummeted to its lowest level in decades. Current estimates put the wild population at just 45 today - the lowest level since the late 1990s. For more information about wolves and the WCC’s participation in wolf recovery, please visit our website at . Follow us on Facebook - Find us on Twitter - And on Instagram -