Aggressive predator control programs, hunting and agriculturalization have combined to bring the red wolf near to extinction, because it was thought to be a threat to livestock.
It is thought that its original distribution included much of eastern North America, where Red Wolves were found from Pennsylvania in the east, Florida in the south, and Texas in the south-east. On the basis of further study, its historic range is now thought to have extended further north into the northeastern USA and extreme eastern Canada. There are thought to be only 249 red wolves remaining in the world, and 200 of those reside in captivity. For decades, the Red Wolf has been indistinguishable genetically from either the Gray Wolf or the Coyote. The Red Wolf breeds with both species and may again be in peril as contact with other species in the wild resumes.
Unlike the grey wolf, the red wolf has not been known to attack people.
