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VIDEO

VIDEO

America's Wolf

America's Wolf

Once an iconic predator, today not even 20 red wolves remain in the wild. This short film tells the imagined story of one young wolf raised in captivity and released into the wild, where she finds the possibility of a new future for her species.

Grades

6 - 12

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Long ago, red wolves roamed from the bayous of East Texas to the bays of coastal New York. Today, not even 20 remain in the wild—confined to a tiny pocket of habitat in far Eastern North Carolina. This short film uses over four years' worth of National Geographic Explorer Jessica Suarez's photographs to tell the imagined story of one young wolf. Raised in captivity, she's eventually released into that last remaining habitat, and in the wild she finds freedom, danger, and the possibility of a new future for her species. Long ago, the red wolf was America's Wolf, and with our help it could be again.

Media Credits

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Executive Producers
Vanessa Serrao
Kaitlin Yarnall
Supervising Producers
Chris Dye
Sarah Joseph
Producers
Sam Sheline
Devin Swanson
Production Manager
Maíra Ferranti Corrêa
Photographer
Jessica Suarez, National Geographic Explorer
Voice Actor
Lauren Ruth Ward
Editor and Animator
Tal Ormsby | Root House Studio
Additional Graphics
Texture Labs
Unsplash
Freepik
Pexels
Vegasaur
Mel FX
Music
Artlist
Sound Design and Mix
Kevin Laba
special thanks

Alanna Sobel

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge

André Gabrielli

Ashley Dutrow

Bayan Atari

Bradley Smith

Jeanne Fink

Joe Madison

Katerina Ramos

Kurt Masse

Mitchell Sava

North Carolina Wildlife Federation

North Carolina Zoo

Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge

Rebecca Bose

Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center

Shannon P. Bartlett

St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge

Tish Gailmard

Tyson Brown

US Fish and Wildlife Service

Wolf Conservation Center

Last Updated

June 12, 2025

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