The primary animal threat to red wolves through interbreeding is the coyote. Because coyotes and red wolves are closely related members of the genus Canis, they can mate and produce fertile offspring, allowing coyote genes to enter the red-wolf population.
This genetic mixing, known as introgression, is especially serious because the wild red-wolf population is extremely small. Even a limited number of hybrid litters can dilute the red wolf’s distinctive genetic identity and make recovery more difficult. Coyotes may also compete with red wolves for territory and food.
Conservation programs in eastern North Carolina have used sterilized coyotes as part of an adaptive-management strategy. These animals can hold territory and reduce opportunities for fertile coyotes to breed with red wolves, while avoiding the need to remove every coyote from the landscape.
The red wolf also faces habitat fragmentation, vehicle strikes, disease, and human-caused mortality. Domestic dogs can hybridize with wild canids too, but coyotes are the principal interbreeding threat identified in red-wolf recovery efforts. The issue is genetic as well as ecological.