by the Editorial board of the Arizona Republic / azcentral.com
The number of Mexican gray wolves in the wild is increasing, which reflects welcome progress in the effort to reintroduce this endangered species. These magnificent creatures are living and breeding in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico.
The successful return of this top predator will benefit the entire ecosystem.
But wolves are far from plentiful, and their survival faces challenges. The success of this program is not assured.
When wolves were reintroduced in 1998, it was expected that the population would exceed 100 by 2006. Recapture, poaching and misguided lethal “management” techniques kept wolf numbers low. Instead, there were only 50 animals in the recovery area at the beginning of 2011. Two successful breeding years brought the number to 75 at the end of 2012.
That’s a healthy trajectory.
But only three breeding pairs remain in the wild, according to Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity. That’s down from six pairs in 2011, and it creates concerns about genetic diversity that can only be solved with the reintroduction of breeding animals now in captivity.
It’s time for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to put more wolves in the wild.
This important reintroduction effort deserves every opportunity to succeed.
