WildEarth Guardians

Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Feds order wolf removed from the wild

Impact of cattle grazing in wolf recovery area ignored
Contact: Santa Fe New Mexican

Albuquerque, NM (AP) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to remove from the wild an endangered Mexican gray wolf that has killed livestock in southwestern New Mexico.

The agency announced Tuesday that it has issued a permanent removal order for the male wolf _ identified as M859 _ because it has been involved in three confirmed livestock depredations since June.

The order means that wildlife managers will try to either capture the animal or kill it. If the wolf is taken alive, it will be placed in captivity and will not be released into the wild.

The Fish and Wildlife Service began releasing wolves on the Arizona-New Mexico border in 1998 to re-establish the species in part of its historic range. Many ranchers have been vocal opponents of the effort because of livestock depredation.

"While permanent removal orders may be perceived as a step back in reintroduction efforts, removing problem wolves is an integral part of wolf management and actually helps create an environment supporting future wolf releases," Benjamin Tuggle, director of the agency's southwestern region, said in a statement.

The agency has designated the wolves as a "nonessential, experimental population," allowing more flexibility in managing them _ including removal by capture or killing if an animal has been involved in at least three livestock deaths in a year.

Conservation groups have complained that the biggest problem the wolf population faces is scavenging on cattle and horse carcasses, thus learning to prey on livestock.

Santa Fe-based WildEarth Guardians and The Rewilding Institute of Albuquerque recently appealed a decision by the Forest Service to allow continued grazing on two allotments in the Gila National Forest through a categorical exclusion, which reduces requirements for public involvement mandated under more formal environmental reviews.

The Forest Service has since withdrawn the decision to renew the two grazing permits. District Ranger Rogers Steed intends to rewrite the decision to add more explanation, but he said he still plans to renew the permits next year.

Steed said a biological assessment was done to consider how the wolves would be affected by the grazing.

But WildEarth Guardians and The Rewilding Institute are hopeful the agency will reconsider environmental impacts before renewing the permits.

"Hopefully they will better accommodate wolves in their grazing management decisions in the future by requiring better animal husbandry practices and taking proactive steps to relieve the potential for wolf-livestock conflicts," said Nicole Rosmarino, WildEarth Guardians' conservation director.

Copyright 2006 Santa Fe New Mexican - Reprinted with permission