Wild Mexican Wolf Population Increases to 113

Despite Gains, Lobos Continue to Face Uphill Battle

SANTA FE, NM— At least 113 Mexican wolves are roaming the wilds of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s latest population count. In February, the Mexican wolf Interagency Field Team documented 21 wild Mexican wolf packs, with a minimum of 50 lobos in New Mexico and 63 lobos in Arizona. Mexican wolves are critically imperiled. Encouragingly, the population rebounded from last year’s low count of 97 lobos in the wild, which was a decline from the previous year.

“The increase in the Mexican wolf population in 2016 is encouraging news, but much work remains to ensure this critically imperiled species recovers and thrives,” said Kelly Nokes, carnivore advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “Delays in federal recovery efforts, obstruction from the state of New Mexico and continued poaching all undermine Mexican wolf restoration.”

Although the population increased, 2016 was also a record-breaking year for Mexican wolf deaths, with 13 lobos killed. Driven to near extinction by the 1970s, the Mexican wolf is one of North America’s rarest mammals, receiving federal Endangered Species Act protections in 1976. The entire wild lobo population descends from the last seven Mexican wolves, which were taken into captivity in the 1990s to form the base for recovery efforts. The species faces a dire genetic crisis as a result.

In 2016, at least 50 wild-born Mexican wolf pups survived until the end of the year. Additionally six wolf pups that were born in captivity were released into the wild through a process known as cross-fostering. Cross-fostering involves releasing a captive-bred pup into a wild den where a mother wolf is raising similarly-aged wild pups. The process necessitates the wild mother wolf adopting the introduced pup into her brood. Three of the 2016 cross-fostered pups are known to have survived to the end of the year.

Despite the positive population gains, lobo recovery continues to face an uphill battle. The federal government’s current rules capping the population at only 300-325 individuals and allowing for wild wolf removals, as well as repeated obstructionist attempts by state wildlife managers to prevent vital releases of Mexican wolves into the wild, all continue to hamper the species’ recovery success.

“Mexican wolves play an integral role in the Southwest’s wild landscape. We call on the government to immediately release more wolves into the wild and allow this iconic species to be fully restored home,” said Nokes.


 

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