Red Wolf Center Welcomes 4-Year-Old Siblings

The Red Wolf Center on Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge near Columbia, North Carolina, has a new attraction in the exhibit enclosure: 4-year-old red wolf brothers that were relocated from Durham.

Born at the Durham Museum of Life and Science, wolves 2246M and 2247M are part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Red Wolf Recovery Program. There are an estimated 19 to 21 wild red wolves in eastern North Carolina — the only known population in the world. 

Katerina Ramos, North Carolina Wildlife Federation’s red wolf education and outreach coordinator, offers education programs every Friday. 

“There are several recovery program options being explored and considered for the male red wolf siblings, including having them stay as education exhibit wolves, being part of the captive breeding program, or being released into the wild red wolf population,” she says. 

Ramos said the 8-year-old female (2061F) previously in the enclosure was relocated to the Wolf Conservation Center, a captive breeding facility in South Salem, New York.

“She’ll be introduced to a male red wolf with the hope they’ll have pups this breeding season,” she says. 

Ramos said the 14-year-old male (1714M) from the exhibit pen is still at the Red Wolf Center, but he’s out of the limelight, spending his retirement days in peace.

Webcams installed in 2022 allow a 24/7 glimpse into the lives of 2246M and 2247M. With one live streaming webcam in their den and another in their outdoor enclosure, viewers can watch (and occasionally hear) the red wolves as they move about the wooded area and interact, snooze, sniff, play, eat and maybe even howl.

“Most people don’t realize these animals’ caring nature towards their pack members. It’s truly magnificent to see red wolves’ close-knit behavior when they’re bonded, especially how they behave with one another daily and when in the den,” says Ramos.

The cameras rotate every minute, allowing viewers to see the entire enclosure within a 10-minute time frame. They’ll also help staff and caretakers observe the wolves from a distance as they continue learning about their behavior and needs while monitoring their health and well-being.

“Red wolves are not only extremely rare, but they’re also naturally shy, wary of humans, and skilled at making themselves hard to spot. It’s nearly impossible to view them in the wild, which is why we’re so excited that a wider audience can watch these amazing creatures anytime, day or night,” she says.

Since 1945, the N.C. Wildlife Federation has worked to conserve wildlife, restore habitat, get people outside, and celebrate conservation, conservation policy and climate resiliency. 

The red wolf webcams can be found at https://ncwf.org/wildlife/red-wolves/. 

For more on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Red Wolf Recovery Program in North Carolina, see “Into the Wild” in the October 2022 edition of Wrightsville Beach Magazine.

To schedule a Red Wolf Center visit, contact red wolf education and outreach coordinator Katerina Ramos at katerina@ncwf.org.