The Federal Highway Administration awarded a $25 million grant to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) in December for use in construction of new wildlife crossing structures on U.S. 64 to help save the endangered red wolf from extinction.
Conservationists report just 17-19 red wolves are left in the wild, primarily in North Carolina’s Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, making the animals one of the most criti- cally endangered species in the world.
Six Red Wolves were killed on US Hwy 64 from vehicle strikes in the past five years, according to Defenders of Wildlife. Most recently, in June 2024, a breeding male red wolf was killed on the highway, a loss which led to the deaths of his five young pups.
The new federal grant from the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program prepares NCDOT to build a series of 11 wildlife underpasses of various sizes along part of US Hwy 64 where the road passes through Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge...
