Editor,
Long live the Lobos! Yes, I hope our football team can somehow rise to victory.
But what I’m talking about is the actual lobo, living here in New Mexico. The Mexican gray wolf is one of the most endangered species on the planet, with less than 40 living in the wild today. It’s the wild face that has been forgotten behind our school mascot. However, some students are trying to give the lobo recognition. Just last week, the Daily Lobo’s front page showed students with the UNM Wilderness Alliance drawing giant lobos with chalk at Zimmerman Plaza and petitioning for their survival.
I am from Silver City (in southwest New Mexico), and I grew up with the Gila Wilderness as my backyard. There are currently fewer than 15 wolves living in the Gila National Forest, when once there were hundreds roaming our state.
Last month, a female wolf from one of the packs was found dead — the cause unknown. Others have been found deliberately and illegally killed in the past. This is how our mascot is treated. The misleading myths surrounding wolves (Little Red Riding Hood, Boy Who Cried Wolf, etc. as well as the ideas that wolves are savage, indiscriminate killers) abet their bad reputation, causing people to irrationally fear them.
The truth is that wolves do not attack humans and rarely kill livestock, preferring to hunt their natural prey. If this species is lost, our environment and University pride will suffer the consequences. And we would be the ones to blame.
UNM community: We can have a strong impact on this issue!
Together, we can save a vital, native species. But you have to care, and you must be brave. And next time you shout for our lobos, keep the Mexican gray wolf in mind.
Their survival is in our hands.
Sienna Wright
UNM student
