The wild population of Mexican wolves saw another year of growth in 2023, according to the results of the annual survey published by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The 2023 population census revealed a minimum of 257 Mexican wolves distributed across Arizona and New Mexico. This increase marks the eighth consecutive year of population […]
Tag: Mexican Wolves
Mexican gray wolves boost their numbers, but a lack of genetic diversity remains a threat
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – The wild population of Mexican gray wolves in the southwestern U.S. is still growing, but environmental groups are warning that inbreeding and the resulting genetic crisis within the endangered species will continue to be a threat to long-term survival. The warning came Tuesday as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and […]
Endangered Mexican Wolves Reach Population Milestone in New Mexico and Arizona
Mexican wolves, a type of gray wolf, were once common across the Southwestern United States and Mexico, but they were nearly extinct in the wild by the 1970s due to conflict with livestock. In an effort to save the species, federal officials listed them as endangered in 1976. Since the first captive Mexican wolves were […]
Could jaguars move farther northward and repopulate the Southwestern U.S.?
The powerful and elegant jaguar is the only big cat in the Americas and the third largest in the world after lions and tigers. It was once found all the way from central Argentina to the Southwestern United States. The biggest difference between jaguars and leopards, which live in Asia and Africa, is their size […]
22 Mexican Wolf Pups Released into Wild to Avoid Extinction
A record number of 22 captive-born Mexican wolf pups have been released into the wild to be taken care of by surrogate wolf parents. During April and May, nine wolf pups were fostered in three different packs in eastern Arizona, and thirteen wolf pups were fostered in five packs in New Mexico. For six years, […]
Cattlemen Tell EnviroNews Ranchers Want Mexican Wolves Killed, Despite Being Paid for Livestock Losses
(EnviroNews Arizona) — Parts of eastern Arizona are a conflict zone, as a 100-year war between ranchers, conservation groups, government agencies, and the endangered Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) rages on. The rarest subspecies of gray wolf, also known as “el lobo,” is doing what wolves have always done in their native territories: they […]