program began to reintroduce captive wolves into the wild. The program was
successful, with about 50 to 75 red wolves currently living in the wild.
Hyde County contains 36,091 acres of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife
Refuge, which is located in northwestern Hyde County. The remainder of the
Pocosin Lakes Wildlife Refuge is contained in Washington County (19,540
acres) and Tyrrell County (56,369 acres). The Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife
Refuge was established in 1990 to conserve some of the unique wetlands
found in the southeast known as pocosin. The new refuge was located
nearby the Pungo National Wildlife Refuge, which was established in the
early 1960s to provide wintering habitat for waterfowl and other migratory
birds. After the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge was established the
two refuges were merged with the renaming of the Pungo Unit of the
Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Large numbers of waterfowl
concentrate within the Pungo Unit in the winter. Waterfowl species that
winter on Pungo Lake include tundra swan, snow goose, and over 20 species
of ducks including wood duck, teal, mallard, and pintail.
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is located on North Carolina's Pea Island,
a coastal barrier island and part of the Outer Banks, adjacent to Cape
Hatteras National Seashore. The refuge provides nesting, resting, and
wintering habitat for