Fewer than 20 red wolves
remain in the wild.

This spring a two-year-old endangered red wolf named Muppet was killed by a vehicle strike on North Carolina’s Highway 64. He died not far from where his father was killed just six months earlier. And he was one of five red wolves to be killed by a vehicle strike in the last year.

These are devastating losses. Fewer than 20 red wolves remain in the wild. Help secure a safer future for red wolves by joining the campaign to build wildlife crossings in the heart of their home in North Carolina.

A generous donor has already pledged to contribute a landmark $2 million match challenge for a Red Wolf Wildlife Crossing Fund. We need your help to raise another $2 million in committed matching funds by Dec. 31.

Meeting this goal is critical to securing federal funding that will match gifts another 5x over and to construct multiple lifesaving wildlife crossings in red wolf habitat.

Help meet the match by giving to the Red Wolf Wildlife Crossing Fund.

To make a pledge or contribute a principle or major contribution, contact Gretchen Mais at gmais@biologicaldiversity.org or by calling (520) 345-5733.

Project Background

Building wildlife crossings on North Carolina’s US Highway 64 is an urgent priority. Red wolves are the world’s most endangered canids, and fewer than 20 of them remain in the wild. Five have been killed by vehicle strikes in the past year. All five were killed along or near Highway 64 in eastern North Carolina, which passes through the heart of Alligator River and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuges — the only places on the planet where wild red wolves now live. The most recent wolf to be killed this summer left his mate, Chance stranded with a litter of five young pups to care for. Now all five of those pups are likely to die as she struggles to feed them as a single mom.

There is hope and we can save the species from this threat. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021 sets aside $350 million in funding for Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program. The second round of funding is being made available this year. Since the Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program was established, no project in the Southeast has been the recipient of this critical pool of funding. This year that needs to change.

To secure federal funds and build a lifesaving wildlife crossing in the heart of red wolf habitat, 20% of the funding must come from state and private sources. Fortunately, an anonymous donor has already put forward a $2 million match challenge. That’s where you come in. Help us meet our goal of raising  $2 million in funds  to confront the number one threat to the world’s most endangered canine.

The funds we raise will be used to seek an additional $16 million through the federal grant program. Tfunding will build multiple wildlife underpass structures enabling wildlife to cross US 64 and access habitat in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge that lies on both sides of the highway. The project will also provide substantial fencing to guide wildlife to safe passage.

This is a critical moment. Red wolves and dozens of other species, from spotted turtles to river otters, are counting on us to raise the needed funds this summer.

Pledges and gift can be made by contacting the Center for Biological Diversity’s deputy development director, Gretchen Mais, at (520) 345-5733 or gmais@biologicaldiversity.org.