Editing Red wolf (section)

==Captive breeding and reintroduction==
[[File:Red wolf pups - captive breeding.jpg|thumb|upright|[[United States Fish and Wildlife Service|USFWS]] worker with red wolf pups, August&nbsp;2002]]
After the passage of the [[Endangered Species Act of 1973]], formal efforts backed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began to save the red wolf from extinction, when a captive-breeding program was established at the [[Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium|Point Defiance Zoological Gardens, Tacoma, Washington]]. Four hundred animals were captured from southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas from 1973 to 1980 by the USFWS.<ref name=Carley>{{cite report |author=Carley, C. |year=1975 |title=Activities and findings of the red wolf recovery program from late 1973 to July 1, 1975 |publisher=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |location=Albuquerque, NM}}</ref><ref name=McCarley1979>{{cite report |author=McCarley, H. |author2=J. Carley |name-list-style=amp |year=1979 |title=Recent changes in distribution and status of red wolves (''Canis rufus'') Endangered Species Report no.&nbsp;4 |publisher=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |location=Albuquerque, NM}}</ref>

Measurements, vocalization analyses, and skull X-rays were used to distinguish red wolves from coyotes and red wolf × coyote hybrids. Of the 400&nbsp;canids captured, only 43 were believed to be red wolves and sent to the breeding facility. The first litters were produced in captivity in May&nbsp;1977. Some of the pups were determined to be hybrids, and they and their parents were removed from the program. Of the original 43&nbsp;animals, only 17 were considered pure red wolves and since three were unable to breed, 14 became the breeding stock for the captive-breeding program.<ref name=McCarley1990>{{cite report |year=1990 |title=Red Wolf Recovery/Species Survival Plan |publisher=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |location=Atlanta, GA}}</ref> These 14 were so closely related that they had the genetic effect of being only eight individuals.

In 1996, the red wolf was listed by the [[IUCN|International Union for Conservation of Nature]] as a [[Critically Endangered|critically endangered species]].<ref name=IUCN/>

===20th century releases===
;1976 release in [[Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge]]
:In December 1976, two wolves were released onto Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge's Bulls Island in South Carolina with the intent of testing and honing reintroduction methods. They were not released with the intent of beginning a permanent population on the island.<ref name="ref35">{{cite conference |author=Carley, Curtis J.  |title=Report on the Successful Translocation Experiment of Red Wolves (''Canis rufus'') to Bulls Island, S.C. |conference=Portland Wolf Symposium |place=Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon |date=August 13–17, 1979}}</ref> The first experimental translocation lasted for 11&nbsp;days, during which a mated pair of red wolves was monitored day and night with remote telemetry. A second experimental translocation was tried in 1978 with a different mated pair, and they were allowed to remain on the island for close to nine months.<ref name="ref35" /> After that, a larger project was executed in 1987 to reintroduce a permanent population of red wolves back to the wild in the [[Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge]] (ARNWR) on the eastern coast of [[North Carolina]]. Also in 1987, Bulls Island became the first island breeding site. Pups were raised on the island and relocated to North Carolina until 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fws.gov/caperomain/redwolf.html |publisher=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |website=Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge |title=Red Wolf |access-date=2010-03-03 |archive-date=2012-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104043938/http://www.fws.gov/caperomain/redwolf.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

;1986 release in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
:In September&nbsp;1987, four male-female pairs of red wolves were released in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, in northeastern North Carolina, and designated as an experimental population. Since then, the experimental population has grown and the recovery area expanded to include four national wildlife refuges, a Department of Defense bombing range, state-owned lands, and private lands, encompassing about {{convert|1700000|acre|km2}}.<ref name="ref20">{{cite report |publisher=USFWS  |title=Red Wolf Recovery Program, 1st Quarter Report |date=October–December 2010 |place=Manteco, NC}}</ref>

;1989 release on Horn Island, Mississippi
:In 1989, the second island propagation project was initiated with release of a population on [[Horn Island (Mississippi)|Horn Island]] off the Mississippi coast. This population was removed in 1998 because of a likelihood of encounters with humans. The third island propagation project introduced a population on [[St. Vincent Island, Florida]], offshore between [[Cape San Blas]] and [[Apalachicola, Florida]], in 1990, and in 1997, the fourth island propagation program introduced a population to [[Cape St. George Island]], Florida, south of Apalachicola.

;1991 release in the Great Smoky Mountains
:In 1991, two pairs were reintroduced into the [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]], where the last known red wolf was killed in 1905. Despite some early success, the wolves were relocated to eastern North Carolina in 1998, ending the effort to reintroduce the species to the park.

===21st century status===
Over 30&nbsp;facilities participate in the red wolf [[Species Survival Plan]] and oversee the breeding and reintroduction of over 150&nbsp;wolves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pdza.org/page.php?id=296 |title=Red Wolf Conservation |publisher=Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium |place=Tacoma, WA |access-date=2011-09-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524225431/http://www.pdza.org/page.php?id=296 |archive-date=2011-05-24}}</ref>

In 2007, the USFWS estimated that 300&nbsp;red wolves remained in the world, with 207 of those in captivity.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |url=http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/five_year_review/doc1155.pdf |year=2007 |title=Red Wolf (''Canis rufus'') 5&nbsp;Year Status Review: Summary and Evaluation}}</ref> By late 2020, the number of wild individuals had shrunk to only about 7 radio-collared and a dozen uncollared individuals, with no wild pups born since 2018. This decline has been linked to shooting and poisoning of wolves by landowners, and suspended conservation efforts by the USFWS.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-18 |title=Wildlife Groups Challenge Red Wolf Rules {{!}} Coastal Review Online |url=https://www.coastalreview.org/2020/11/wildlife-groups-challenge-red-wolf-rules/|access-date=2021-01-13 |website=www.coastalreview.org|language=en-US}}</ref>

A 2019 analysis by the [[Center for Biological Diversity]] of available habitat throughout the red wolf's former range found that over 20,000&nbsp;square miles of [[public land]] across five sites had viable habitat for red wolves to be reintroduced to in the future. These sites were chosen based on prey levels, isolation from coyotes and human development, and connectivity with other sites. These sites include: the [[Apalachicola National Forest|Apalachicola]] and [[Osceola National Forest|Osceola]] National Forests along with the [[Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge]] and nearby protected lands; numerous national parks and national forests in the [[Appalachian Mountains]] including the [[Monongahela National Forest|Monongahela]], [[George Washington and Jefferson National Forests|George Washington & Jefferson]], [[Cherokee National Forest|Cherokee]], [[Pisgah National Forest|Pisgah]], [[Nantahala National Forest|Nantahala]], [[Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest|Chattahoochee]], and [[Talladega National Forest|Talladega]] National Forests along with [[Shenandoah National Park]] and the lower elevations of [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]]; [[Croatan National Forest|Croatoan National Forest]] and Hofmann Forest on the [[North Carolina]] coast, and the [[Ozark–St. Francis National Forest|Ozark]], [[Ouachita National Forest|Ouatchita]], and [[Mark Twain National Forest|Mark Twain]] National Forests in the [[central United States]].<ref name="press-releases-2019-10-29"/>

In late 2018, two canids that are largely coyote were found on [[Galveston Island]], Texas with red wolf [[alleles]] (gene expressions) left from a [[ghost population]] of red wolves. Since these alleles are from a different population from the red wolves in the North Carolina captive breeding program, there has been a proposal to selectively cross-breed the Galveston Island coyotes{{efn|The purpose would be to selectively breed the animals to restore the lost red wolf genes to the current captive and experimental red wolf populations, while removing any introduced coyote genes. In addition to recovering the lost red wolf genetics, it would bolster the meager genetic diversity of the captive red wolves.}} into the captive red wolf population.<ref name="heppenheimer2018" /> Another study published around the same time analyzing canid scat and hair samples in southwestern Louisiana found genetic evidence of red wolf ancestry in about 55% of sampled canids, with one such individual having between 78 and 100% red wolf ancestry, suggesting the possibility of more red wolf genes in the wild that may not be present in the captive population.<ref name=":4" />

From 2015 to 2019, there were no red wolves released into the wild. But in March 2020, the FWS released a new breeding pair of red wolves, including a young male red wolf from St. Vincent Island, Florida into the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. The pair were unsuccessful at producing a litter of pups in the wild. On March 1, 2021, two male red wolves from Florida were paired with two female wild red wolves from eastern North Carolina and released into the wild. One of the male wolves was killed by a car shortly after being released into the wild. On April 30 and May 1, four adult red wolves were released into the wild and four red wolf pups were fostered by a wild female red wolf.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sorg|first=Lisa |publisher=NC Policy Watch|date=May 19, 2021|title=Eight red wolves released west of Outer Banks, first time in years|url=https://www.obxtoday.com/n-c-policy-watch-eight-red-wolves-released-west-of-outerbanks-first-time-in-years/|access-date=2021-05-20|via=OBX Today}}</ref> In addition to the eight released wolves, the total number of red wolves living in the wild amount to nearly thirty wild individuals, including a dozen other wolves not wearing radio collars.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kozak |first=Catherine |date=2021-05-17 |title=Groups release 8 captive red wolves into NC recovery area |work=CoastalReview |url=https://coastalreview.org/2021/05/8-captive-red-wolves-released-into-nc-recovery-area/}}</ref>

A study published in 2020 reported camera traps recorded "the presence of a large canid possessing wolf-like characters" in northeast Texas and later hair samples and tracks from the area indicated the presence of red wolves.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ladine |first=Troy A. |date=2020 |title=The Red Wolf (''Canis rufus'') in East Texas |journal=The Southwestern Naturalist |volume=65 |issue=1 |pages=52–56|doi=10.1894/0038-4909-65.1.52 |bibcode=2021SWNat..65...52L }}</ref>

By fall of 2021, a total of six red wolves had been killed, including the four adults that had been released in the spring. Three of the released adults had been killed in vehicle collisions, two had died from unknown cases, and the fourth released adult had been shot by a landowner who feared the wolf was attempting to get his chickens. These losses dropped the number of wolves in the wild down to about 20 wild individuals. In the winter of 2021–2022, the Fish and Wildlife Services selected nine captive adult red wolves to be released into the wild. A family of five red wolves were released into the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, while two new breeding pairs of adult wolves were released into the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. The release of these new wolves brought the number of wild red wolves in eastern North Carolina up to less than 30 wild individuals.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

On April 22, 2022, one of the [[breeding pair]]s of adult red wolves produced a litter of six wolf pups, four females and two males. This new litter of red wolf pups became the first litter born in the wild since 2018. As of 2023, there are between 15 and 17 wild red wolves in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.<ref name=":5" />

===Existing population===

In April and May 2023, two captive male red wolves were paired with two wild female wolves in acclimation pens and were later released into the wild. At the same time, the wild breeding pair that produced a litter of pups the previous year gave birth to a second litter of 5 pups, 2 males and 3 females. A male wolf pup from a captive litter was fostered into the pack, and with this new addition, the family of red wolves, which was named the Milltail pack by FWS, has grown to 13 wild individuals. These six new pups has brought the wild population of red wolves up to 23–25 wild individuals.

In May 2023, two families of red wolves were placed in acclimation pens to be released into the wild in the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Tyrrell County. One family consisted of a breeding pair and three pups, while the other consisted of a breeding pair, a yearling female, and four young pups that were born in the acclamation pen. In early June 2023, the two families of red wolves were released into the wild to roam through PLNWR. With the addition of these two separate packs, the wild population of red wolves had increased to about 35 wild individuals. In addition to the wild population, there are approximately 270 red wolves in zoos and captive breeding programs across the U.S.

===Coyote × re-introduced red wolf issues===
Interbreeding with the coyote has been recognized as a threat affecting the restoration of red wolves. Adaptive management efforts are making progress in reducing the threat of coyotes to the red wolf population in northeastern North Carolina. Other threats, such as habitat fragmentation, disease, and human-caused mortality, are of concern in the restoration of red wolves. Efforts to reduce the threats are presently being explored.<ref name="ref22"/>

By 1999, introgression of coyote genes was recognized as the single greatest threat to wild red wolf recovery and an [[adaptive management]] plan which included coyote sterilization has been successful, with coyote genes being reduced by 2015 to less than 4% of the wild red wolf population.<ref name=Gese>{{cite journal |first1=Eric M. |last1=Gese |first2=Fred F. |last2=Knowlton |first3=Jennifer R. |last3=Adams |first4=Karen |last4=Beck |first5=Todd K. |last5=Fuller |first6=Dennis L. |last6=Murray |first7=Todd D. |last7=Steury |first8=Michael K. |last8=Stoskopf |first9=Will T. |last9=Waddell |first10=Lisette P. |last10=Waits |display-authors=6 |year=2015 |title=Managing hybridization of a recovering endangered species: The red wolf ''Canis rufus'' as a case study |journal=[[Current Zoology]] |volume=61 |number=1 |pages=191–205 |doi=10.1093/czoolo/61.1.191 |doi-access=free |url=http://www.currentzoology.org/temp/%7BD773D858-9D90-417A-B60E-C28FCB137D42%7D.pdf |access-date=2016-02-21 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303172203/http://www.currentzoology.org/temp/%7BD773D858-9D90-417A-B60E-C28FCB137D42%7D.pdf }}</ref>

Since the 2014 programmatic review, the USFWS ceased implementing the red wolf adaptive management plan that was responsible for preventing red wolf hybridization with coyotes and allowed the release of captive-born red wolves into the wild population.<ref>{{cite press release |first=Tom |last=MacKenzie |date=30 June 2015 |title=Service halts red wolf re‑introductions, pending examination of recovery program |website=fws.gov |publisher=U.S. [[Fish and Wildlife Service]] |url=http://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ID=456CB36D-F587-7CD1-7021195729AF7928 |access-date=2023-11-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304121843/http://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ID=456CB36D-F587-7CD1-7021195729AF7928 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Since then, the wild population has decreased from 100–115&nbsp;red wolves to less than&nbsp;30.<ref>{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Rumsey |date=14 August 2017 |title=2015&nbsp;Brings no conclusions on Red Wolf Recovery Program in eastern NC |type=radio news clip & transcript |website=[[WFAE]] 90.7&nbsp;FM (wfae.org) |place=Charlotte, NC |url=http://wfae.org/post/2015-brings-no-conclusions-red-wolf-recovery-program-eastern-nc |access-date=2023-11-30}}</ref> Despite the controversy over the red wolf's status as a unique taxon as well as the USFWS' apparent disinterest towards wolf conservation in the wild, the vast majority of public comments (including NC residents) submitted to the USFWS in 2017 over their new wolf management plan were in favor of the original wild conservation plan.<ref>{{cite press release |first1=Haley |last1=McKey |first2=Ron |last2=Sutherland |first3=Kim |last3=Wheeler |first4=Collette |last4=Adkins |first5=Maggie |last5=Howell |date=14 August 2017 |title=Public overwhelmingly supports protecting wild red wolves |website=www.biologicaldiversity.org |publisher=[[The Center for Biological Diversity]] |place=Washington, DC |url=https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2017/red-wolf-08-14-2017.php |access-date=2023-11-30 <!-- old 2017-09-25 url still redirects to new link, but still replaced it = https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2017/red-wolf-08-14-2017.php --> }}</ref>

A 2016 genetic study of canid scats found that despite high coyote density inside the Red Wolf Experimental Population Area (RWEPA), hybridization occurs rarely (4% are hybrids).<ref name=Justins2016_07/>

===Contested killing of re-introduced red wolves===
High wolf mortality related to [[Anthropogenic hazard|anthropogenic]] causes appeared to be the main factor limiting wolf dispersal westward from the RWEPA.<ref name=Justins2016_07>{{cite journal |title=Describing a developing hybrid zone between red wolves and coyotes in eastern North Carolina, USA |author1=Bohling, Justin H. |author2=Dellinger, Justin |author3=McVey, Justin M. |author4=Cobb, David T. |author5=Moorman, Christopher E. |author6=Waits, Lisette P. |name-list-style=amp |journal=Evolutionary Applications |date=July 2016 |volume=9 |issue=6 |pages=791–804 |doi=10.1111/eva.12388 |pmid=27330555 |pmc=4908465 |bibcode=2016EvApp...9..791B }}</ref> High anthropogenic wolf mortality similarly limits expansion of eastern wolves outside of protected areas in south-eastern Canada.<ref>{{cite journal |title=A protected area influences genotype specific survival and the structure of a ''Canis'' hybrid zone |author=Benson, J. |author2=B. Patterson |author3=P. Mahoney |name-list-style=amp |date=2014 |journal=Ecology |volume=95 |issue=2 |pages=254–264 |doi=10.1890/13-0698.1 |pmid=24669720|bibcode=2014Ecol...95..254B }}</ref>

In 2012, the [[Southern Environmental Law Center]] filed a lawsuit against the [[North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission]] for jeopardizing the existence of the wild red wolf population by allowing nighttime hunting of coyotes in the five-county restoration area in eastern North Carolina.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Protection of Red Wolves |publisher=Animal Welfare Institute |url=https://awionline.org/cases/protection-red-wolves |website=awionline.org |access-date=2015-12-26}}</ref> A 2014 court-approved settlement agreement was reached that banned nighttime hunting of coyotes and requires permitting and reporting coyote hunting.<ref name=":2" /> In response to the settlement, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission adopted a resolution requesting the USFWS to remove all wild red wolves from private lands, terminate recovery efforts, and declare red wolves extinct in the wild.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission |title=[no title cited] |series=News Article |url=http://www.ncwildlife.org/Default.aspx?tabid=416&IndexId=10015 |website=www.ncwildlife.org |access-date=2015-12-26}}</ref> This resolution came in the wake of a 2014 programmatic review of the red wolf conservation program conducted by The Wildlife Management Institute.<ref>{{cite web |title=WMI to Coordinate Comprehensive Review and Evaluation of the Red Wolf Recovery Program |url=https://www.wildlifemanagementinstitute.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=767:wmi-to-coordinate-review-and-evaluation-of-red-wolf-recovery-program&catid=34:ONB%2520Articles&Itemid=54 |publisher=Wildlife Management Institute |website=www.wildlifemanagementinstitute.org |access-date=2015-12-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122164728/https://www.wildlifemanagementinstitute.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=767:wmi-to-coordinate-review-and-evaluation-of-red-wolf-recovery-program&catid=34:ONB%2520Articles&Itemid=54 |archive-date=2016-01-22 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/press-release/AWI-WL-ResolutionUSFWSRedWolfExtinct-01302015.pdf |title=Resolution Requesting that the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Declare the Red Wolf (''Canis rufus'') Extinct in the Wild and Terminate the Red Wolf Reintroduction Program in Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington Counties, North Carolina |date=January 29, 2015}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Red Wolf Recovery Program |website=www.fws.gov |url=http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/evaluation.html |access-date=2015-12-26 |archive-date=2015-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124001749/http://www.fws.gov/redwolf/evaluation.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Wildlife Management Institute indicated the reintroduction of the red wolf was an incredible achievement. The report indicated that red wolves could be released and survive in the wild, but that illegal killing of red wolves threatens the long-term persistence of the population.<ref name=":3"/> The report stated that the USFWS needed to update its red wolf recovery plan, thoroughly evaluate its strategy for preventing coyote hybridization and increase its public outreach.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wildlife Management Institute Releases New Report on Red Wolf Recovery Program |url=http://www.defenders.org/press-release/wildlife-management-institute-releases-new-report-red-wolf-recovery-program |publisher=Defenders of Wildlife |access-date=2015-12-26 |date=2014-11-20 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2015-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222180138/http://www.defenders.org/press-release/wildlife-management-institute-releases-new-report-red-wolf-recovery-program}}</ref>

In 2014, the USFWS issued the first take permit for a red wolf to a private landowner.<ref>{{Cite web |title=USFWS Grants Landowner Permit to Kill Critically Endangered Red Wolf |publisher=Wolf Conservation Center |url=http://nywolf.org/home?p=9297 |website=nywolf.org |access-date=2015-12-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911235807/http://nywolf.org/home?p=9297 |archive-date=2015-09-11}}</ref> Since then, the USFWS issued several other take permits to landowners in the five-county restoration area. During June&nbsp;2015, a landowner shot and killed a female red wolf after being authorized a take permit, causing a public outcry.<ref>{{cite news |title=How management rule allows certain red wolf killings |newspaper=News Observer |url=http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article35484480.html |department=Editorial |access-date=2015-12-26 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Sierra |last=Weaver |title=No defense for death of red wolf |newspaper=News Observer |url=http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article36851709.html |department=Editorial |access-date=2015-12-26 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> In response, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a lawsuit against the USFWS for violating the Endangered Species Act.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Fish and Wildlife faces lawsuit over red wolf program |url=http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article44780244.html |newspaper=News Observer |department=Editorial |access-date=2015-12-26 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

By 2016, the red wolf population of North Carolina had declined to 45–60&nbsp;wolves. The largest cause of this decline was gunshot.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Survival and population size estimates of the red wolf |journal=The Journal of Wildlife Management |volume=81 |issue=3 |pages=417 |year=2017 |last1=Hinton|first1=Joseph W. |last2=White |first2=Gary C. |last3=Rabon |first3=David R. |last4=Chamberlain |first4=Michael J. |doi=10.1002/jwmg.21206|bibcode=2017JWMan..81..417H }}</ref>

In June 2018, the USFWS announced a proposal that would limit the wolves' safe range to only Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, where only about 35&nbsp;wolves remain, thus allowing hunting on private land.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Fish and Wildlife to allow open hunting of endangered wild red wolves in Southeast |first=Bo |last=Petersen |date=27 June 2018 |orig-year=Updated 14 Sep 2020 |url=https://www.postandcourier.com/news/fish-and-wildlife-to-allow-open-hunting-of-endangered-wild/article_2298d96e-7a11-11e8-96bd-b3434a1b6db8.html |newspaper=Post and Courier |access-date=2018-06-29 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fws.gov/southeast/news/2018/06/service-proposes-new-management-rule-for-non-essential-experimental-population-of-red-wolves-in-north-carolina/ |title=Service proposes new management rule for non-essential, experimental population of red wolves in North Carolina |publisher=U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |website=www.fws.gov |language=en-US |access-date=2018-06-29 |archive-date=2018-06-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628232737/https://www.fws.gov/southeast/news/2018/06/service-proposes-new-management-rule-for-non-essential-experimental-population-of-red-wolves-in-north-carolina/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In November&nbsp;2018, Chief Judge [[Terrence W. Boyle]] found that the USFWS had violated its congressional mandate to protect the red wolf, and ruled that USFWS had no power to give landowners the right to shoot them.<ref name=fears2018/>