"2025 has been an eventful year for Mexican wolves. The imperiled predators - a subspecies of gray wolf reintroduced to the Southwest in 1998 - appeared to be bounding toward recovery: According to the latest census, released in March, about 286 wolves roam Arizona and New Mexico, marking a nine-year growth streak. In response, Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., introduced a bill in July to remove them from the list of federally endangered species."
"At a subcommittee hearing this fall, Gosar said federal protection is no longer necessary and that too many cattle and sheep - "even family pets," he claimed - were being lost to wolf predation. (Mexican wolf attacks on pets are rare but do occur; one dog was killed in 2023 and another injured in 2024, according to federal recovery program records.)"
"But delisting the animals would be premature, say wolf advocates and some tribal representatives. The wild population still hasn't yet reached the threshold of 320 wolves averaged over eight years, the criteria for delisting set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, nor have the agency's other benchmarks been met. Removing federal protection could reverse decades of progress, said Bryan Bird, Southwest director for Defenders of Wildlife. In New Mexico, where they're also listed as endangered by the state, wolves would still be protected from hunting, but Arizona lacks such state-level protections."
Mexican wolf numbers reached about 286 in Arizona and New Mexico in March 2025, continuing a nine-year growth streak since reintroduction in 1998. Rep. Paul Gosar introduced legislation in July to remove federal endangered status, citing livestock and pet losses. Recorded Mexican wolf attacks on pets are rare but include one dog killed in 2023 and another injured in 2024. Advocates and some tribal representatives say delisting is premature because the Fish and Wildlife Service recovery threshold of 320 wolves averaged over eight years and other benchmarks have not been met. New Mexico keeps state endangered protections; Arizona does not.
Read at High Country News
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