Editor,
There are only 52 Mexican gray wolves left in the wild today.
The Mexican gray wolf reintroduction program initially aimed to have 100 wolves in the wilderness of New Mexico and Arizona by this year. The Interagency Field Team for wolf reintroduction released its annual wolf population survey Tuesday. The report states that there are now only four breeding pairs in the wild.
The wolves' reintroduction is threatened by illegal poaching and management rules for the reintroduction, which include removing and relocating animals that stray beyond invisible reserve boundaries.
According to Defenders of Wildlife, one gray wolf is removed from the wild or killed for every 1.1 confirmed livestock depredations. As many as 22 wolves were removed from the wild in 2007, including three wolves that disappeared in November.
As a top predator, the wolves are necessary to the regulation of the Southwest's ecosystems. In Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies, where reintroduction is better established, the wolves' return has increased the presence of birds, beavers, fish and riparian aspen groves.
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Here in the Southwest, the Mexican gray wolf is not only UNM's mascot, but it is also a key to the ecological health of the region. The wolves are a symbol of the Southwest's strength and I, for one, do not wish to see them vanish.
Anna Keener
UNM Wilderness Alliance
