Biologists count wild gray wolves

PINETOP, Ariz. — Biologists are combing the rugged mountains of the U.S. Southwest to find out how many Mexican gray wolves are roaming the wild.

The annual count in New Mexico and Arizona started in November and is expected to continue through early February. The counts of the endangered predators will be released in March.

At least 163 wolves were counted in the last survey. That was a nearly 25% increase from the previous year.

The count put wildlife managers about half way to meeting the goal set to declare the species recovered. The wolves were first released in parts of their historic range in 1998.

Biologists are looking for single wolves and wolf packs from the ground and air. The operation is more limited because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Any wolf that’s captured will be fitted with a tracking device.