The feds are offering up to a $2,500 reward after someone killed a red wolf in Tyrrell County.
The federally protected animal was found September 4th near Creswell. The red wolf was wearing a radio collar to help track it.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the maximum penalty for taking a red wolf is one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. The feds say after being nearly extinct, a re-population program now has about 100 red wolves roaming their native habitats in five counties in northeastern North Carolina.
Anyone with information on the death of the red wolf should call Special Agent Sandra Allred at (919) 856-4786, Refuge Officer Frank Simms at (252) 216-7504 or North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Officer Robert Wayne at (252) 216-8225.