81,000 Demand Support for Long-term Mexican Gray Wolf Conservation

More than 81,000 people called on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) to establish stronger protections for endangered Mexican gray wolves during a 90-day public comment period that closed yesterday. In November, the FWS proposed changes to a management rule that determines their recovery success in the southwestern U.S. 

“Americans again voiced overwhelming support for science-based recovery of the iconic Mexican gray wolf,” said Patricia Estrella, New Mexico representative for Defenders of Wildlife. “It is well past time for the Fish and Wildlife Service to listen. It is time for the symbol of the Southwest to roam free once again.”

The majority of comments asked for the FWS to shift focus toward measurable, science-based objectives to support the long-term conservation of Mexican wolves rather than short-term (and short-sighted) steps that will be inadequate to ensure recovery. In addition, polling shows more than two-thirds of voters in Arizona and New Mexico support wolf reintroduction, reflected in comments from diverse stakeholders.

“Mexican wolves cannot afford another weak, ineffective rule that ignores the best science. Wolves need to be allowed to disperse and thrive and play their truly essential role in our southwestern wildlands,” said Sandy Bahr, chapter director for Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon (Arizona) Chapter. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must fulfill its responsibility to these endangered animals and come back with a rule that will ensure healthy, sustainable populations of Mexican wolves.”

The lobo, or Mexican gray wolf, is the smallest, most genetically distinct, and one of the rarest subspecies of the gray wolf. They were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1976, but recovery efforts have suffered without the implementation of recovery actions recommended by wildlife advocates.

“If it fails the science test, it fails the lobo,” said Maggie Howell, the Wolf Conservation Center executive director. “That’s why the American public is saying loud and clear that they expect FWS to follow the best available science to ensure that the Mexican gray wolf remains a living, breathing part of the southwestern landscape.”

Image

Leah Lauritson

FWS tried to make changes to the “10(j) Management Rule” in 2015 (Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revision to the Regulations for the Nonessential Experimental Population of the Mexican Wolf; Federal Register/Vol. 80, No. 11/Friday, January 16, 2015, pp.2512-2567). As a result, conservation organizations immediately sued FWS for not fulfilling their obligation to bring Mexican gray wolves back to a healthy wild population. The court agreed with the groups; U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer Zipps came back with an order for the FWS to redo the process of changing the management rule and, this time, include correct interpretations of the best available science.

“The keys to Mexican wolf recovery are well understood: reduce anthropogenic mortality and increase genetic diversity,” said Michelle Lute, Ph.D. in human-wolf coexistence and national carnivore conservation manager for Project Coyote. “FWS has yet to demonstrate capacity or willingness to meet their recovery duties. Proactive actions like releasing bonded mates with pups and reforming livestock husbandry practices are essential to recovery of this essential lobo population.”

“On top of a heap of scientific literature, we once again see immense public support for real lobo recovery,” said Chris Smith, southwest wildlife advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “That means allowing wolves to re-establish throughout their historic range, rescuing them from genetic crisis and designating them as essential. For the American public and for wolves, U.S. Fish and Wildlife needs to get it right this time.”

Mexican wolves are at tremendous risk due to their small population size, limited gene pool, threats from trapping and illegal killings. As of the last official count in 2020, there are 186 known Mexican gray wolves in the wild in the U.S.