5 puppies die after their father is hit by a car

The news is tragic for people who care about the welfare of North Carolina's endangered red wolves, the only known wild population in the world.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed that five wild cubs that lost their father earlier this year have died in eastern North Carolina.

Her father, 2444M, was struck and killed by a vehicle on US 64 near Buffalo City Road in June, more than a month after his partner gave birth to the five puppies in April 2024.

“It is shocking to see the impact a single vehicle collision has on the critically endangered wild red wolf population,” Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.

Currently, only 16 red wolves are known to remain in the wild. The US Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that there are only a few more that have not yet been discovered. Another 290 red wolves live in captivity.

Conservation groups have identified traffic on U.S. 64 as a major threat to the survival of wild red wolves and are supporting efforts to build a wildlife crossing in the area. The highway to and from the Outer Banks cuts through the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, an important habitat for the wolves, in Dare County.

Despite prominent signs warning motorists of red wolves in the area, four animals have been struck and killed by cars since September 2023. All three wolves killed on US 64 were males, with 2444M and a wolf killed last September confirmed to be breeding males for their pack.

“US 64 has single-handedly prevented the expansion of the wild red wolf population,” said Ron Sutherland, chief scientist at the Wildlands Network, in an interview.

A fourth wolf, a young female, was struck and killed on US-264 in December 2023.

What is known about lost puppies?

Red wolves are found in the wild exclusively on the Albemarle Peninsula. Family groups exist in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in Dare and Hyde counties and in the Pocosin River National Wildlife Refuge in Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington counties.

The deceased pups were the firstborn of a female wolf named 2413F. She was likely unable to care for the pups without their father, according to the Center for Biological Diversity press release.

Her litter is one of two born in the wild this year. Another litter of eight cubs has not been seen by remote sensing or with the naked eye since late June, raising doubts about their survival.

“No pup deaths have been documented. However, pups close to five months of age typically move with adults throughout the family group's territory and are seen on remote sensing cameras,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service explains on its red wolf website.

Efforts to fund wildlife crossings

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has applied for a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program to help animals cross U.S. Highway 64.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the NC Wildlife Resources Commission also participated in the grant, while nonprofit organizations worked to raise $6.25 million in matching funds for the project.

If fully funded, the project would cover approximately 2.5 miles of US 64, from just east of the community of East Lake to just west of Robertson Landing Road.

The Department of Transportation would surround the road with fences to prevent wildlife from entering the highway, then raise that section of road and build 13 planned crossings underneath.

These include ten 3.4-foot culverts for small animals, two 7.6-foot pipes for medium-sized mammals such as deer and wolves, and one 10-foot pipe for large mammals such as the black bears that live in the refuge.

The Ministry of Transport expects construction work to take less than a year.

“Wildlife crossings can protect people and save red wolves from extinction, but we must build them before it is too late,” said Harlan, a scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement.

The DOT motion notes that some of the collisions involving the Red Wolf vehicles may have been intentional based on comments made to FWS staff and on social media.

Building a structure that allows red wolves to avoid the road “will likely be the only effective way to reduce collision deaths,” the grant application states.

Although the red wolf was given as the reason for the crossing, supporters say it would also help other species that live in the protected area.

On August 1, the Wildlands Network began investigating roadkill along 12 miles of US 64 from Columbia to Dare County. By August 23, they had found 1,029 dead animals, including nearly 500 turtles, more than 300 snakes and more than 200 frogs. Researchers had also discovered three coyotes, a bobcat and a bear.

“It was just mind-blowing… There are just tons of animals being killed out there,” Sutherland said.

This story was produced with financial support from the Hartfield Foundation and the Green South Foundation in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners as part of an independent journalism grants program. N&O retains full editorial control over the work. If you would like to support local journalism, you can take out a digital subscription. You can do so here.