Mexican Gray Wolf Reintroduction in New Mexico by Sydney Hutson
In any ecosystem, predators are necessary to fully function. In New Mexico and many other southwestern states of the US, there have been great losses in the population of a predatory canine, the Mexican Gray Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi). Due to fear for the safety of livestock as well as humans, the wolves were hunted mercilessly until the late 1900s. From 1973 to present day, there have been many attempts to reintroduce the wolf back to the southwest (US Fish and Wildlife Service, 2009).
This issue affects many regions of the United States as well as northern Mexico. Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico are beginning to attempt saving this endangered species. In New Mexico and Arizona, the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area has been established. Fifty miles north of the Mexican border, the recovery range covers about four million acres of land (Romo, 2009). So far, the number of wolves in the recovery range is not promising nor does it fit the original plans, which were laid out in 1998. It was estimated that by 2006, there would be over 100 wolves in the desert but there are only about 50 wolves present at this time.
This low population is due to the problems arising from one of the parties involved. The main party involved in this conflict consists of ranchers, farmers, and hunters. According to their beliefs, the wolves are dangerous and will cause monetary loss for many in rural areas. “Hugh McKeen, commissioner of Catron County, a locus of antiwolf sentiment, says some ranchers have seen yearly stock losses rise from 4 to 10 percent” (Velasquez-Manoff, 2008). Due to their disagreement with wolf reintroduction, there has been an increase in illegal poaching (Romo 2009). The ranchers feel that unless the wolf is removed, there is a danger to livestock and even humans. Since there aren’t enough workers to monitor the wolves constantly, the ranchers have decided to take matters into their own hands. They follow the ‘three strikes and you’re out’ rule. Under this, if three animals are killed, federal agents will either relocate or terminate the wolf (Romo 2009). Most ranchers are too impatient to wait for the investigations to complete or the compensation to come in so they go after the wolves themselves.
On the other side, are scientists, researchers, and environmentalists who fight for wolves. Their main claim is that wolves are necessary for the ecosystem. Without these predators, the population of prey increases just to consume large amounts of resources. Or other smaller, more troublesome predators, such as coyotes will increase in population. This will lead to many pressures on the desert ecosystem which could have disastrous results.
Already, there are new pressures on the environment. As was illustrated in Yellowstone National Park, wolves are necessary for success. When the wolf population was depleted, the population of deer increased exponentially. Since they are herbivores, they consumed all plant life within reach. There was also an exponential increase of coyotes in the area, causing a whole new host of problems. This is now occurring in New Mexico.
The first thing to do is to address the concerns of all those who oppose the idea of wolf reintroduction. There needs to be some kind of reimbursement for the lost livestock. But on the other hand, there need to be restrictions on those claims, such as to how much can be given. These plans are already being discussed or implemented. In fact, there has been a leap in this development. In October of this year, a fund for ranchers was established. “Federal wildlife officials and the National Fish and Wildlife Federation have signed an agreement establishing a trust fund to help ranchers deal with the impacts of endangered wolves that have been reintroduced in the Southwest” (Bryan 2009). Unfortunately, the conflict remains, due to the time consuming process of filing a claim to the boards in charge of the fund. Regardless of the consequences or conflicts that arise, the Mexican Gray Wolf must be reintroduced.
I believe that the Mexican Gray Wolf must be reintroduced on a larger and more continuous level. This is due to the fact that the New Mexico ecosystem is suffering and will continue to suffer if action is not taken. Everyone should listen to the opposition. They have much more at stake in this situation. There needs to be some compensation for livestock lost but these cases must be investigated. There are a few ways in which a wolf attack can be proven. If there is enough tissue on the remains, investigators might be able to match the teeth pattern to the wolf species. Tracks or scat (animal waste) near the scene might prove a wolf/wolves were involved. A behaviorist might be able to gauge the nature of the attack by studying the scene (if the situation matches the wolf’s hunting strategy). There isn’t any room for people to get around the system and to take advantage of the situation. There also needs to be harsher punishments for offenders who poach the wolves illegally. There needs to be more people involved in the reintroduction attempt. If the party is understaffed, then the wolves won’t be properly monitored and problems will arise. There needs to be representatives for both parties that take into account what is best for all that are involved. We must protect the Mexican Gray Wolf not only for the preservation of the species, but also to preserve the desert ecosystem.
Additional Research or Problems
In order to finish this issues paper, I will need to gather additional research material, some of which provides me with names of those involved in the debate. I also need to collect additional information about the ecological effects the wolves’ presence is having in the desert. I might try contacting someone from the Fish and Wildlife Service for an interview as well.
Works Cited
Bryan, S. M. (2009, October 07) Fund will help ranchers deal with mexican wolves. Albuquerque Journal, 1. Retrieved from database http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/apwolffund10-07-09.htm
Romo, R. (2009). Mexico planning to release wolves. Albuquerque Journal Online Edition, Retrieved from http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/12230472765newsstate08-12-09.htm
Romo, R. (2009, November 14) ‘3 Strikes’ rule for wolves abandoned. Albuquerque Journal, 1. Retrieved from database. http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/1423551state11-14-09.htm
US Fish and Wildlife Service. (2009, March 09). Welcome to the Mexican gray wolf recovery program. Retrieved from http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/
Velasquez-Manoff, M. (2008). Howls of protest greet Mexican wolf reintroduction. The Christian Science Monitor, Retrieved from http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2008/12/22/howls-of-protest-greet-mexican-wolf-reintroduction/
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