Red Wolf (Canis rufus) Population Viability Analysis – FINAL REPORT FOR U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE (USFWS) FEASIBILITY STUDY

A Population Viability Analysis (PVA) is a quantitative computer model that can be used to project a population’s long-term demographic and genetic future. In 2013, USFWS and the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan® (SSP) captive breeding program approached experts at the Lincoln Park Zoo to create the Red Wolf PVA team. The goal of this collaboration is to model the viability of the zoo-managed (SSP) and wild, northeastern North Carolina (NENC) red wolf populations, to better understand the conditions under which each population can best persist into the future and how movement of individuals between the populations impacts viability in both. This report summarizes modeling results from a stochastic individual-based model built in Vortex 10.1 for use in USFWS’ Feasibility Review.