A total of 10 critically endangered American red wolves were transferred between New York and North Carolina on Tuesday as part of a coordinated conservation effort aimed at protecting the species. The exchange involved the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York, and the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, North Carolina, facilitated by the organization Pilots to the Rescue.

The movement included three wolves—a breeding pair and a lone female—relocating from New York to North Carolina. Concurrently, a breeding pair and five puppies were transferred from North Carolina to New York. This exchange supports the Save Animals From Extinction program overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The American red wolf population remains alarmingly low, with fewer than 30 individuals estimated to survive in the wild. To address this critical status, the program annually reviews recommendations for breeding and animal exchanges to help sustain and increase the species’ numbers.

Rebecca Bose, curator of the Wolf Conservation Center, noted that over 50 facilities participate in this nationwide effort to preserve the red wolf. “With fewer than 21 Red Wolves left in the wild, every step we take toward recovery matters,” she said, emphasizing the importance of such cooperative initiatives to prevent the species from extinction.