The refuge attracts visitors worldwide for its red wolf (Canis rufus)[1] howling programs and is also home to the Dare County Bombing Range.

The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is composed of 152,000 acres (615 km2) lying in the mainland portions of Dare and Hyde Counties, North Carolina.

The wildlife diversity includes wading birds, shorebirds, American woodcock, raptors, black bears, alligators, white-tailed deer, raccoons, cottontail rabbits, bobwhite quail, northern river otters, red wolves,[6][7] red-cockaded woodpeckers,[8] and neotropical migrants.

[9] An important objective is the restoration of historical water levels in the refuge by progressively plugging man-made drainage ditches.

[needs update] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.