Environmental lawsuits say Mexican gray wolf recovery plan is flawed
Lawsuits filed Tuesday by environmentalists charge that U.S. wildlife managers failed to adopt a recovery plan for the endangered Mexican gray wolf that would protect against illegal killings and the consequences of inbreeding.
Two coalitions of groups filed separate complaints in federal court in Arizona seeking changes to the plan, marking the latest challenges in a long battle over efforts to re-establish the predator in its historic range in the Southwest and northern Mexico.
The lawsuits allege the plan adopted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife set inadequate population goals for the wolves, cut off access to vital habitat in other parts of the West and failed to respond to mounting genetic threats.
“Mexican wolves urgently need more room to roam, protection from killing and more releases of wolves into the wild to improve genetic diversity,” said Earthjustice attorney Elizabeth Forsyth, who is representing the groups. “The wolves will face an ongoing threat to their survival unless major changes are made.”
Matthew Bishop, a lawyer with the Western Environmental Law Center, said the “recovery plan was designed by politicians and anti-wolf states.”
Federal officials did not immediately respond Tuesday to a message seeking comment but have previously defended the plan, which was adopted in November.
The majority of documented Mexican gray wolf deaths in the U.S. are human-caused, and officials said reducing mortalities from illegal shootings and vehicle collisions may “provide our best opportunity to improve population performance and speed the time to recovery.”
Investigations of illegal shootings over the years have been fruitless, but federal authorities continue to offer a $10,000 reward. Other groups have donated more money, meaning tipsters could get as much as $58,000 depending on their information.
Under the plan, management of the wolves would eventually revert to state wildlife agencies in New Mexico and Arizona, but not until the population averages 320 wolves over an eightyear period.
The wolf recovery team is currently surveying the population to get an updated count. Last year, the survey found at least 113 wolves in the wild in mountainous areas along the Arizona-New Mexico border.