On Monday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced the transfer of a critically endangered red wolf from St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge, an island propagation site off the coast of Florida, to North Carolina’s Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

The transfer is intended to increase the wild red wolf population and provide breeding opportunities for resident wild red wolf females. Joining the last 11 red wolves known to remain in the wild, and no active breeding pairs or pups born in 2019, this red wolf’s transfer is an important step for the recovery of his imperiled species.

The young male wolf can trace his roots to the Wolf Conservation Center – his father Thicket (M1804) was born at the WCC in 2010 and transferred to the island propagation site in 2013! In fact, his cousins still reside at the WCC; red wolves Charlotte (F2121) and Tyke (M2118) were born to Thicket’s brother Moose (M1803) in 2015.

Learn more about red wolves.