The United States in the late 1970s captured the last remaining wild red wolves after hybridisation and habitat loss pushed the species toward extinction; captive breeding later made it possible to return wolves to the wild in North Carolina

For generations, red wolves lived in the southeastern United States, inhabiting forests, wetlands and coastal plains. It was a top predator across several southern states and played an important role in the local ecosystem. Nevertheless, the development of settlements and predator control measures in the 19th and 20th centuries led to the reduction of the red wolf population.

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