Less than 150 (2004). The species was extinct in the wild by 1980. Red wolves raised in the captive breeding program were re-introduced into eastern North Carolina in 1987. Presently, they exist only in this re-introduced population. Reasons for the red wolf's decline included hunting, poisoning and trapping, habitat disruption, and competition and hybridization with the coyote. Hybridization with coyotes is the primary threat to the current wild species' existence.