Wildlife Agency Agrees to Release Red Wolves Under Settlement

The US Fish and Wildlife Service agreed Wednesday to develop a red wolf release plan to help the species recover in North Carolina, according to a proposed settlement agreement with conservation groups.

The agency designated an experimental population of the red wolf in Eastern North Carolina in 1986 to help slow their decline, which has come about due to habitat destruction and extensive hybridization with coyotes, the Red Wolf Coalition and other groups said in a complaint. The population grew to more than 100 in the late 2000s but now, only seven red wolves remain in the wild, they said. ...