The Scout Plush

“Tracking Red Wolves allows scientists to monitor and gather accurate data on population dynamics, preferred habitats, home ranges, and movement, which helps provide protective measures for their success in the wild. It allows for several key management actions that are critical to the recovery of Red Wolves, such as finding wild dens, fostering pups, determining the cause of deaths, knowing which Red Wolves are paired, placing Red Wolves in acclimation pens to create new breeding pairs, and more. Mark Twain said, “Supposing is good, but finding out is better.”

To learn more, visit our partner directly at fws.gov/project/red-wolf-recovery-program.

“Red Wolves wear orange radio collars that transmit by VHF (very high frequency) and/or GPS (global positioning system). Each animal’s radio collar has a unique frequency that transmits a signal allowing them to be located. VHF tracking involves using directional antennae to listen for a signal given off by a transmitter in the radio collar. The operator rotates the antennae until they can determine which direction the signal is coming from the loudest. That process is repeated from at least 3 different locations, allowing the operator to put together the direction of the signal from each spot and accurately determine the Red Wolf’s location.  GPS radio collars transmit the location of the Red Wolf via satellites on a set schedule, and biologists can then view that data.”

To learn more, visit our partner directly at fws.gov/project/red-wolf-recovery-program.

**The tracking experience for this animal uses representative historical data provided to us by our partners at SAFE Red Wolf to honor this Red Wolf’s life and legacy. We feel these stories deserve to be told to grow support and awareness for the world's most endangered wolf, while not jeopardizing the safety of the fewer than 20 wild Red Wolves remaining.

“Tracking does not harm the Red Wolves and enhances their chance for survival in the wild.”

To learn more, visit our partner directly at fws.gov/project/red-wolf-recovery-program.

The remaining wild Red Wolf population exists only in eastern North Carolina, though they once roamed as far west as Texas, as north as New York, and as far southeast as Florida.

Red Wolves are carnivores that primarily eat what is available, including large mammals like white-tailed deer, and smaller prey such as raccoons, rabbits, mice, and nutria. They’ve also been known to feed on various insects and berries!

Red Wolves are smaller than their gray wolf cousins, but larger than coyotes. They typically measure around 4 ft (1.2 m) from nose to tail, and about 26 in (66 cm) at the shoulder. Red Wolves vary in weight from about 45–80 lb (20–36 kg).

Red Wolves are the only wolf species that exists only in the United States and are sometimes referred to as “America’s wolf.” They’re culturally significant to Native Americans and play a critical role regulating prey populations in their habitat. 

On average, Red Wolves live 6–7 years in the wild and closer to 15 years in captivity. The oldest known wild Red Wolf was 1743F, who reached 14 years old before passing in 2023 of natural causes.

Red Wolves are the most critically endangered wolf species in the world with fewer than 20 known individuals left in the wild. Despite their nearness to extinction, researchers are working diligently nationwide to conduct effective conservation strategies to protect and restore the population. Without these efforts, the wild population could once again become extinct, as it was officially declared in 1980 prior to captive breeding programs’ success.