Survey: Additional Mexican gray wolves are roaming Southwestern U.S.
ALBUQUERQUE — More Mexican gray wolves are roaming the Southwest now than at any time since federal biologists began reintroducing the predators more than two decades ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Monday.
Agency officials declared progress for the endangered species in New Mexico and Arizona, saying there are at least 131 wolves in the wild in the two states. That represents a 12 percent jump in the population.
The rarest subspecies of gray wolf in North America, Mexican wolves have struggled to gain ground since the first release in 1998 because of poaching, politics, legal challenges and even complications from a lack of genetic diversity.
“The Mexican gray wolf has come back from the brink of extinction thanks to scientific management and the dedicated work of a lot of partners,” said Amy Lueders, head of the agency’s southwest region.
The population increase comes as gray wolves have marked their own turnaround elsewhere, prompting federal officials to reconsider that species’ endangered and protected status. Now more than 6,000 gray wolves live in portions of nine states.
Making up only a fraction of the wolves in the U.S., Mexican wolves are in a more precarious position with their limited numbers, and the population is still far from where biologists had initially envisioned the species would be by now.
Environmentalists have long called for the release of more captive wolves to boost the population in the Southwest. They also have complained about confining the physical
boundaries of the recovery program.
But they were encouraged by the latest numbers.
“It shows that these wolves have the capacity to make it if we give them half a chance,” said Michael Robinson with the Center for Biological Diversity.
Ranchers and others in rural communities within the mountain ranges that border wolf territory have pushed back against the reintroduction program, citing livestock kills and safety concerns.
Federal wildlife managers have been working with partners in Arizona, the White Mountain Apache Tribe and the Mexican government to mitigate concerns related to the reintroduction on both sides of the international border. But ranchers in New Mexico and Arizona continue to document conflicts.
During the first two months of the year, officials reported 18 confirmed livestock kills in New Mexico and two in Arizona.
Environmentalists argue not enough is being done to discourage wolves from preying on livestock and to limit losses from trapping and poaching.
“The Mexican gray wolf is an essential part of the Southwestern ecosystem and we must do everything we can to ensure the species recovers,” said Bryan Bird with Defenders of Wildlife.