Read more at: http://borderzine.com/2012/05/the-mexican-gray-wolf-still-struggles-to-survive-in-the-american-southwest/The Mexican gray wolf still struggles to survive in the American southwest
By Ezra Rodriguez on May 3, 2012
The Mexican gray wolf is a subspecies of the Gray Wolf. Mexican wolf at the El Paso Zoo. (Ezra Rodriguez/Borderzine.com)
The Mexican gray wolf is a subspecies of the Gray Wolf. Mexican wolf at the El Paso Zoo. (Ezra Rodriguez/Borderzine.com)
EL PASO – After almost 14 years of effort to reintroduce the Mexican gray wolf into the American southwest, less than 60 lobos roam today in the 4 million acre territory along the Arizona-New Mexico line.
It seems that life is not getting any easier for the lobo. In 1970, predator control programs almost drove the wolves into extinction until efforts to reintroduce them started in 1998.
Currently in New Mexico and Arizona only 58 Mexican wolves survive, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In 1998 wildlife officials estimated that by 2006 the wolf population would have reached 100 in the region. Federal trapping and shooting and illegal killings have contributed to keeping the numbers of Mexican gray wolves low.
Even though it is rare to encounter one of these creatures in the wild because of their small numbers, humans are the main threat to their existence.
Unfortunately, the " both sides must come to an agreement" seems unlikely. If they haven't already for all this time most likely they never will. People are people and they'll have their sides, just as some of the public opposes gray wolf coddling and overprotection and some don't. [And then there's the middle but everyone seems to forget about it. Remember folks, the middle is the safest place. If you disagree, we can agree to disagree, but considering both ends tend to be the extremist side of things I'd say I am right.] The problem here is that the Mexican gray wolf population is so low there's not very much time for that, and people are tending to put their focus and time more towards the Mexican gray's northern counterparts than anything. [where it doesn't need to belong at this moment.]