Fewer than 50 now?
Gray wolf’s shooting death under investigation. Associated Press. KSWT News
This program simply has to undergo great revision by the new leadership at USFWS (this leadership has not yet been announced). Feds: Mexican gray wolf plan needs updating. By Susan Montoya Bryan. Associated Press.
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Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University with specialties in natural resource politics, public opinion, interest groups, political parties, voting and elections. Aside from academic publications, he is author or co-author of three hiking/backpacking guides, and he is past President of the Western Watersheds Project.
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I see on the Demarcated Landscape Blog that there is a ambitious release project going on “south of the border”.
Hope the Mexican wolves have a future there. Seems they are doomed in Az and NM.
This is the alpha female of the Moonshine Pack–AF836. She and three-legged former Aspen M1039 (taken into captivity after being injured in a coyote trap in New Mexico in early 2008 ) were released at the Middle Mountain release site in Arizona in mid-November 2008. They immediately split up.
AF836 traveled widely over the northern part of the recovery area, with her last reported location being just a few miles southwest of Eagar, AZ, on January 17.
AF836 was a tri-lineage (McBride x Ghost Ranch x Aragon) wolf born at the Minnesota Zoo on May 19, 2003. She was a littermate of Meridian AF838, who was shot by a bowhunter in September 2006, less than three months after the release of the Meridian pack at Middle Mountain, Arizona.
This article claims that illegal killing is the cause of the greatest number of deaths in the reintroduced lobo population. This is true, however the greatest single cause of losses of Mexican wolves to the wild population is agency mangement actions.
The total number of illegal killings is now 32. If you add all the lethal “control” actions (11) plus the instances of deaths of recaptured wolves from capture myopathy (13) plus the number of wolves recaptured, mostly for livestock depredations, and not re-released to date (35), you get a total of 59.
Management removals thus account for nearly twice as many wolves lost to the wild population as do illegal killings.
Don’t know where that smiley face came from! M1039 was captured early last year–2008.
SMILIES
WordPress converts the numeral “eight”, followed immediately by a parenthesis into a smiley.
It seems obvious that the service should be attempting reintroductions in other areas incl. national parks like grand canyon… Also, not allowing coyote hunting during deer hunting season would save wolves from “accidentally” getting shot.
Thanks for solving the smiley face mystery, Ralph.
Its a shame to see what is happening to the Mexican Wolf.
I worked with the Endangered Species group in Colorado in the early 90’s. They had a pair of Mexican wolves along with 9 Timberwolves. They were hopeful that the Mexican wolves would breed for future release. Through my company we were able to donate a computer, software, and technical help to organize their records. It looks like all our efforts may have been in vain. I was hoping that when the Obama administration appointed a new Secretary of Interior things would change for the better. I guess we will have to wait and see. Wouldn’t it be great if someday we had a President that grew up loving our parks and natural resources.