ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — More Mexican gray wolves are roaming the American Southwest now than at any time since federal biologists began reintroducing the predators more than two decades ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Monday.Agency officials declared progress for the endangered species in New Mexico and Arizona, saying there are at least 131 wolves in the wild in the two states. That represents a 12% jump in the population.Ranchers and others in rural communities within the mountain ranges that border wolf territory have pushed back against the reintroduction program, citing livestock kills and safety concerns.Federal wildlife managers have been working with partners in Arizona, the White Mountain Apache Tribe and the Mexican government to mitigate concerns related to the reintroduction on both sides of the international border, but ranchers in New Mexico and Arizona continue to document conflicts that range from cattle deaths to nuisance reports.

Source: Survey: More Mexican gray wolves roam Southwest | Livestock | postregister.com

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — The death of a Mexican gray wolf and injuries to another prompted environmentalists Feb. 12 to call on New Mexico lawmakers to ban trapping on public land.Defenders of Wildlife said four wolves have been caught in traps in New Mexico over the last two months. The wolf that died was a female member of the Prieto Pack that roams northern portions of the Gila National Forest. Another member of the pack that was also trapped remains in captivity after having its leg amputated.The two other wolves that were caught were released into the wild.More than 40 wolves have been caught in traps in the Southwest since 2002, according to the group.“This is having a significant impact on the recovery of the species. Every wolf lost to trapping is unnecessary and unacceptable,” said Bryan Bird, the group’s Southwest program director.

Source: Mexican wolves caught in traps in New Mexico highlight ban debate | Grand Canyon News | Grand Canyon, AZ

ALPINE — For the Mexican wolf Interagency Field Team, midwinter is a busy time. Late January through early February is when the team works to get an accurate count of the number of Mexican gray wolves in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico.While biologists on the team began the work of counting on the ground in November and December, the highlight of annual survey comes when the team uses helicopters and fixed wing aircraft to count the animals, and capture some for collaring.The aerial count was scheduled to begin January 21 and run through February 2, but has was delayed due to the partial government shutdown. Once the government re-opened, the count was started on February 7 and will end on February 23, barring another shutdown.On Tuesday in Alpine, two female wolves were darted by the helicopter crew on two separate flights. The wolves were flown to Alpine to receive a veterinary exam and to be fitted with collars. The wolves are darted with a sedative, Telozol, that allows them to be safely handled and examined.

Source: When wolves fly: Annual Mexican wolf count underway | Apache County | wmicentral.com

El lobo ibérico volverá a Sierra Morena. Es, al menos, la intención de la Comisión Europea, que en un reciente escrito remitido a la Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio destaca la “necesidad de continuar trabajando en la recolonización de la especie”. En el texto, al que ha tenido acceso el Día, Bruselas destaca, literalmente, “la necesidad de continuar mejorando las condiciones sociales para aceptar la presencia del lobo, mejorando el conocimiento y promoviendo medidas para consolidar e incrementar su población”. El objetivo es que exista “conectividad con el resto de la población mediterránea”.

Source: Bruselas velará por la “recolonización” del lobo ibérico en Sierra Morena

PINETOP — How many Mexican gray wolves are out there? That’s the question that the annual winter wolf count is designed the answer.The aerial count was scheduled to begin January 21 and run through February 2, but has been delayed indefinitely due to the partial government shutdown.“Our first flight was going to be the 21st, that was the plan,” said J. Paul Greer, leader of the Interagency Field Team that manages the wolves for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.Greer said the the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the lead agency for the aerial count. USFWS is the federal agency in charge of carrying out the Endangered Species Act and working to help animals listed as endangered, such as the Mexican gray wolf, to recover.

Source: Annual wolf count delayed by government shutdown | Latest News | wmicentral.com

Two years ago, along the southern border west of El Paso, a Mexican gray wolf loped north through the Chihuahuan Desert and into the United States. A few days later, unable to find a mate, he returned to Mexico.Today, an 18-foot-high steel barrier could block his path. Sections of President Trump’s border wall built in recent weeks slice through 20 miles of this remote New Mexico desert, where a creature’s ability to traverse vast distances can be a matter of life and death.Mexican wolves are one of the most endangered mammals on the continent, with just 114 in New Mexico and Arizona and a few dozen across the border in Sonora, Mexico. With a narrow gene pool, their long-term survival may hinge on crossing the border to find mates, just as they did for thousands of years.Wolves are hardly the only wildlife threatened by the border wall. The new bollard-style barriers in New Mexico also obstruct the movements of kit foxes, cougars and ringtail cats. The walls fragment their populations and increase the risks of inbreeding.

Source: Border walls already take a toll on wildlife | TheHill

With the arrival of a new male wolf last month, Brookfield Zoo plans to establish a new pack of endangered Mexican wolves. Zoo officials said this week they are hopeful that 2-year-old Ela and newcomer Apache, 7, will have a successful breeding season this winter and produce a litter of wolf pups in the spring.Apache arrived at the zoo in December from Albuquerque Bio Park in New Mexico. Brookfield Zoo was home to Ela’s original pack until November, when nine wolves were transferred to new homes in Missouri. Ela’s packmates were moved because as wolves mature, they typically disperse from their natal pack. The 10-wolf pack was one of the largest and most successful packs in the history of the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program, according to the zoo.

Source: Brookfield Zoo to Establish New Pack of Endangered Mexican Wolves | Chicago News | WTTW