The First Ever Cloned American Red Wolf Celebrates It's 1st Birthday!

The idea of de-extinction, bringing a species back from the dead, has long been the stuff of science fiction. Think of a woolly mammoth roaming the tundra again or a saber-toothed cat prowling the grasslands. Last April, biotech company Colossal Biosciences took a decisive step from fiction to fact, announcing the world’s first de-extinction: the dire wolf. However, in a quiet, equally profound achievement, the same technology provided a lifeline to one of our most endangered animals, the American red wolf.

Colossal’s groundbreaking, non-invasive cloning technique, developed to resurrect a prehistoric predator, was quickly applied to a modern crisis. The red wolf, once declared extinct in the wild in the 1980s, now teeters on the edge of oblivion with fewer than two dozen individuals left. The population is a genetic bottleneck, with all living red wolves descended from just 12 founders. Their future was grim, a dwindling line facing inevitable collapse.

Using genetic material from the last remaining wild wolves in Louisiana, scientists successfully produced two litters of pups—one female and three males, all healthy and thriving. Today, those pups are no longer just a scientific achievement. They are a tangible symbol of hope.

Neka Kayda, the firstborn female red wolf, just celebrated her first birthday. Her moniker, a Karankawa name that translates to "ghost daughter," has grown from a fragile pup into a robust and intelligent wolf over the last year. Colossal Biosciences' own Paige McNickle, manager of Animal Husbandry, who has spent time with the pups weekly since they were born, tells us “Neka Kayda is always on the move. She keeps busy by practicing her parkour moves, standing on high spots observing her surroundings, and chasing butterflies.”

Over her first year, Neka has demonstrated a quick intellect, establishing herself as a leader among her siblings. Her playful antics are all carefully monitored by a full-time staff on a secure, 2,000-acre ecological preserve. Mcnickle continued, “Neka Keyda has a big personality, big expressions, and a masterful problem-solver, which make her a favorite of caretakers. “

The red wolves are living proof that cutting-edge science can rewrite a species' future. The de-extinction of the dire wolf may have captured headlines, but it's the quiet return of a ghost that may change the world.