RALEIGH, N.C. — The fate of the world’s remaining wild population of red wolves will be decided soon.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to announce in September whether it will maintain, modify or abandon a 30-year effort to return the wolves to the wild in eastern North Carolina.

A female red wolf is shown in its habitat at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, N.C. Conservationists are preparing for what could be their last shot at convincing a judge to intervene in a protracted battle to save the world's only wild population of red wolves. Associated Press/Gerry Broome

Meanwhile, conservationists say the wildlife service is already neglecting its duty and have asked a federal judge to step in. A Sept. 14 hearing is scheduled on their efforts to block what they say are harmful or lethal ways of removing wolves from private land.

Conservationists say the preliminary injunction is needed to halt population declines that have left between 45 and 60 animals roaming the wild. The wild population peaked at approximately 130 a decade ago and stayed above 100 for years, according to court documents.

“Our hope is that the agency will recommit to the population as a whole and the program as a whole. This injunction is really just to stop the bleeding,” Sierra Weaver, a lawyer for the Southern Environmental Law Center, said. “The idea is to make sure we still have a red wolf population to recover by the time we get to the end of this litigation.”

Once common around the Southeast, the red wolf had been considered extinct in the wild as of 1980 because of factors including hunting and habitat loss. Releases of red wolves bred in captivity started in 1987.

But in recent years, some North Carolina residents have complained that the wolves are increasingly straying onto private land and causing problems. Opponents also cite an outside evaluation from 2014 that found flaws in the recovery program.

Tom MacKenzie, a spokesman for the wildlife service, said federal officials would make a decision on the fate of the program in September after a lengthy review, but he couldn’t provide an exact date.

The conservation groups – which include the Red Wolf Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife and Animal Welfare Institute – note that the federal government has already halted practices that helped boost the population such as releasing captive-born pups into the wild and sterilizing coyotes that sometimes interbreed with the wolves.

Lawyers for the federal government, counter that they have maintained other efforts while funding the program with more than $1 million in 2016.

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