Image from en.wikipedia.org
Recently, there have been improvements to the gray wolf population within the United States. So much so, that there was a motion put out to remove the species from the endangered species list in order to focus conservation efforts on other species. This included the cousin of the gray wolf, the Mexican wolf.
Much like the gray wolf, the Mexican wolf faces imminent extinction. In 2012, the minimum population count at recorded by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service was seventy-five wolves. When this annual survey was completed again at the end of 2013, the numbers were slightly higher with the minimum population at eighty-three Mexican wolves in the wild. According to the Fish and Wildlife experts, this is a reassuring sign. This is a ten percent increase in the Mexican wolf population from the previous year. While it may not look like much, this population growth is due to wild born wolves surviving and repopulating the target habitat.
Even with these early signs of hope for the survival of the Mexican wolf, the U.S. fish and wildlife still plan to employ other conservation measures. Mexican wolves are being raised in captivity to be released into the wild population. This will help bolster the growth of the wild wolf population as well as provide new genetic material for strong new generations of wolf.
In order for young wolf pups to be considered as survivors and counted in the general wolf population, they must survive a certain number of months. In 2013, seventeen wolf pups survived to the first year, and now have a good chance of surviving to adulthood and aiding the recovery of the Mexican wolf.
