An endangered red wolf was hit and killed by a vehicle earlier this month. Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say it was killed on June 5 on U.S. 64 near Buffalo Road.
It is the third endangered wolf killed on the road since September. The wild population of red wolves live on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in Tyrrell County.
Another breeding male was killed last September, and a third was killed in April. Right now, there are only about 20 red wolves in the wild, but 13 puppies were born in the wild this spring.
Those pups won’t be added to the population count until they are a year old. Another 257 red wolves live in captivity.
In the recently updated Red Wolf Recovery Plan, identified human caused deaths from gunshots and vehicle crashes continues to be a significant threat to the species.
