Mexico Wolf Reintroduction Off To Rocky Start

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The reintroduction of Mexican gray wolves to a mountain range just south of the U.S.-Mexico border as part of an effort to re-establish the endangered species is off to a rocky start.

Correspondence between Mexican wildlife officials and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed Tuesday that four out of the five wolves released by Mexico's Environment Department last October are dead from poisoning.

Despite the deaths, supporters of wolf reintroduction in the American Southwest are still hoping releases in Mexico can provide a genetic boost to a small population of wolves in New Mexico and Arizona.

"They've been working for decades for this reintroduction so obviously this is setback, but my assumption and hope is that they will continue and make it successful," said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity, an American group that has supported returning the wolves to their historic range.

The Mexican agency that oversees that country's natural resources and the environment released three female wolves — ages 11, 4 and 3 — and two 3-year-old male wolves in Sonora's San Luis Mountains in early October. The wolves went through rehabilitation in northern Mexico and were fitted with GPS collars so they could be tracked.

Mexico's reintroduction effort has been 20 years in the making. A release of captive wolves into the wild was first proposed in 2009 but faced delays.

As for the poisoned wolves, Mexican officials said one was found in November and the other three in December. Necropsies were done on all four animals and results in each case were positive for warfarin, a blood thinner that's commonly used in rat poison and pesticide.

It was unclear whether the warfarin was set out intentionally for the wolves. Mexican officials did not provide any details about how the poison was consumed, and law enforcement agents were investigating.

The surviving female wolf is continuing to feed on rabbits and rodents in the area, officials said.

Similar reintroduction work in the U.S. started in 1998, but that program has been hampered by court battles, disputes between ranchers and environmentalists, livestock depredations and illegal shootings.

In the first year, five of the 13 wolves released in the U.S. were shot. Now, there are at least 58 wolves in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico — more wolves than in each of the past five years.

Mexican officials have a recovery plan for the species and intend to carry on with the program, said Sherry Barrett, director of the Mexican gray wolf program in the U.S.

"Any time we have this type of problem, we're disappointed," she said Tuesday of the wolf deaths in Mexico. "But it's not insurmountable."

Neither Mexico nor the U.S. has announced any specific plans for future releases to bolster their wild wolf populations.

___

Follow Susan Montoya Bryan on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanmbryanNM

Comments

[MoreThanMeets The Eye]

04:29 PM on 02/25/2012

It's sad that the anti-wolf crowd have no viable scientific data to support any of their claims while the preponderance of studies and opinions from reputable wildlife biologists supports the reintroduction of these wolves. It has become for the wolf killers and their supporters a purely politician effort.

[flaconoire]

06:45 PM on 02/23/2012

Even here in New Mexico /AZ, the reintroduction is a challenge with the cattle industry and hunters doing as much as they can to end it by any mean.

[Patrice Darden]

04:19 PM on 02/23/2012

i rather live with the wolfs than humans who are we to undo what god put on this green earth ! STOP THE KILLING OF ALL WILD ANIMALES !

[Artemesian]

11:49 AM on 02/23/2012

I would say we are not "superior"; we have our place in the grand scheme just as every other creature put here does. Animals, such as the wolf, have qualities that are vastly superior to humans' such as their sense of smell. There's no way any human has or will compensate for it. Others here have listed qualities in which animals are "superior" to us. This is all in my opinion human culture and religion telling us that we are superior, and with selective interpretation of bible passages missed by a mile.

It's one thing to delist an animal because their numbers may have recovered (and I'm not convinced they have), but to put schedule immediate hunting is unethical, and going on a gurerilla warfare campaign in Idaho is irrational enough to be comic, if the results weren't so tragic, and has nothing to do with science. Human habitat destruction and destroying the apex predators, putting the environment out of balance, is what has led to disruption of elk and other game. I'm not convince the game numbers are legit either - it's a big lie. There aren't a lot of hunters anymore in our modern world, I don't think.

Humans are superior in our greed and arrogance only.

[aysegul]

12:43 PM on 02/23/2012

You are so right. We have our place in the grand "shame"... And we are in the first place... Humans, I mean.

[marywindwolf]

04:31 PM on 02/23/2012

and the Wolves pack families has the best family support among the Wild.The wolf father as oppose to male dogs take care of the litter..theirs or others..

[Veluriel]

11:53 PM on 02/22/2012

As seen in the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone, they provide a necessary component of the food cycle/chain that helps curb/encourage other species. Wolves were kicked out/killed off by humans because we saw them as a nuisance, and disregarded the impact that that has on the environment/ecosystem they inhabited.

As humans, you can argue that we are the ultimate "apex predator." Yet we are not suited to balancing ecosystems because our primary concern is only for our own technological advancement, everything and everyone else be damned. Our populations do not grow based on food availability/scarceness anymore. We have industrial farms/ranches that can handle almost anything these days (in the developed world).

By claiming a "darwinist" perspective and framing humans as the "apex predator" you're ignoring the fact that we do not behave as typical apex predators in the wild do. Their populations are kept in check by food availability, seasonal changes, competition, etc. that we do not have to face as humans with technology.

Using that argument, you could say (with internal consistency) that humans have no responsibility to the environment and any other species that we co-exist with. That we can despoil the earth and its resources with no consequence.

[AnthropologistAmongApes]

12:57 AM on 02/24/2012

Well said!

[Son of Liberty 1765]

09:57 PM on 02/22/2012

I am glad they were poisoned. THey will eat herds of game used for sustenance in that area and replace it with a dangerous animal with little to no value as food. There is a reason humans tried to anihilate the species.

[yeti7]

07:53 AM on 02/23/2012

plus they will attack the poor emigrates walking in from Mexico

[marywindwolf]

03:20 PM on 02/23/2012

TYpical..brain damage people.. can't spell it's "immigrants...

[Patrice Darden]

04:38 PM on 02/23/2012

thats dumb people should not be comming over the border anyhow ! we cant do it without pappers why should thay gov should make moor nat,parks for them of vast size stop killing the wolfs sighn forms to keep wolfs at world wildlife federation or cause.com ,STOP THE HUMANS FROM THE SLOTTER OF ANIMALES!

[Neil20]

10:41 AM on 02/23/2012

What a stupid person you are. Don't you know that wolves present in the food chain and the ecology have a specific purpose to fulfill? They are not meant just to make room for people like whose ravenous appetites need to be filled. Wolves too need the space that you need including food and water to look after themselves and their young. People like you, unfortunately, see nothing beyond your self-serving interests. I think species of your kind should be poisoned rather than the wolves.

[Son of Liberty 1765]

11:36 AM on 02/23/2012

I am the highest in the food chain and as a result, folks like me decide what species remain. If my livelihood was threatened by the wolf, I would kill it. Period. The Mexican ranchers are keeping themselves from becoming impoverished because a few do-gooders want to bring back the most destructive predator known.

[marywindwolf]

08:23 PM on 02/23/2012

Amen Nell20.. Greedy stupid humans are the worse Predators..

[eyelashviper]

08:03 PM on 02/22/2012

Outrageous....since when do the wilds of Mexico need warfarin spread in the environment???
Protect these wolves, they are part of the chain of life and are intelligent animals, more so than lots of human beings.

[Deep Thinking Man]

06:59 PM on 02/22/2012

http://howlingforjustice.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/oh-no-the-idaho-live-bait-kill-wolves-bill-voted-out-of-committee-goes-to-senate-for-vote/

http://howlingforjustice.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/good-news-warriors-oregon-bill-4158-is-dead-for-now/

something tells me that the Mexican wolves will have an open hunting season placed on them very soon !!!!!...i fear they'll end up being slaughtered like thew Northern Gray Wolves are being !!!!!!

[bad spelling grammar]

07:32 PM on 02/22/2012

lets hope your wrong :)

[Deep Thinking Man]

07:59 PM on 02/22/2012

BSG...i so hope that i'm wrong !!!!!...however...with the mentality of the Welfare Queens...i'm not positive !!!!

[yeti7]

07:54 AM on 02/23/2012

slaughtered by the wolves

[marywindwolf]

03:22 PM on 02/23/2012

Yetl7 go away..your're embarrassing yourself..

[karen lyons kalmenson]

06:42 PM on 02/22/2012

is there an antidote to the homo sapien virus:(

[Artemesian]

07:06 PM on 02/22/2012

Sadly, I think it's usually fatal for any animal species it comes in contact with. ;(

[karen lyons kalmenson]

04:51 AM on 02/23/2012

yep:(

[tinyplanet00]

11:27 PM on 02/22/2012

You first.

[karen lyons kalmenson]

04:51 AM on 02/23/2012

you must have some real hang ups, so to speak

[labrown]

06:30 PM on 02/22/2012

What part of Darwin do environmentalists fail to comprehend?

[Oreoverse]

07:25 PM on 02/22/2012

FYI, Mexican gray wolves were extirpated from the region by human activity (i.e. hunting, trapping and poisoning).

Darwin has very little to do with the lack of wolves in Mexico and the southwestern US, unless you know a guy named Darwin with a backpack full of shotgun shells, snare traps and rat poison.

[labrown]

08:25 PM on 02/22/2012

Even with our shotgun shells, traps and rat poison, we are still part of Darwin's equation and do exactly what other predators do. We just use different methods. The notion that humans are somehow exempt from this theory is erroneous despite our sophisticated techniques. Oh by the way, did I mention screw the snail darter?

[Son of Liberty 1765]

09:59 PM on 02/22/2012

Humans are part of the theory of evolution. When will leftists get it?

[eyelashviper]

07:57 PM on 02/22/2012

What part of Darwin's theories do you actually comprehend?

[labrown]

11:22 PM on 02/22/2012

Spoken like a true eyelashviper. LMAO

[BeerLover]

03:47 PM on 02/22/2012

So I suspect the farmers are poisoning? Or is the water THAT goo in N.M.?

[Vmathew]

01:55 PM on 02/22/2012

So, its ok that there is plenty of wild game for hunters to kill. But the wolves cant have there share. They cant stop by the grocery and pick up a meal like we can!

[Son of Liberty 1765]

10:00 PM on 02/22/2012

That is because they are inferior.

[Chad Wheeler]

12:59 PM on 02/23/2012

You are a caricature. There is no way you are real.

[marywindwolf]

07:27 PM on 02/23/2012

Son of Liberty.. reading your post..You sound as of you're seriously suffering from some deep seated issues of inferiority complex.

[bad spelling grammar]

01:41 PM on 02/22/2012

Rat poison affects carnivores across America through secondary exposure. The rodents consume the poison and eventually die off out in the open only to be eaten by carnivores like wolves, coyote, bobcat, and mountain lion. The exposure to rat poison makes these animals more prone to catching a fatal disease called mange. Dogs are more at risk to catching mange due to their immune system when compared to cats. Personally I know the attitude of the New Mexico and Arizona ranchers and they hate the wolves. There have been several documented cases were ranchers have left poison out to target wolves and other carnivore species because it is illegal to shoot endangered species. Trying to relate to the rancher types is impossible, they claim they like to live out in nature but can’t stand the whole natural part of nature itself. For a species like the Mexican Gray wolf were there are so few left it is extremely selfish for these rancher thugs to poison a struggling species. Clearly the government of two countries and the entire American community is in favor of revitalizing the Mexican Wolf population but these rancher thugs apparently have to put their needs above the majority and thus kill anything they want. Shame on them and let justice deliver a swift blow to all of them who believe that the Mexican Gray wolf has no right to live.

[BeerLover]

03:48 PM on 02/22/2012

House poisoned rats are rarely consumed by wolves in the wild.

[bad spelling grammar]

07:27 PM on 02/22/2012

Mice are sneaky and if they can get into your house from the outside they can get out of your house just as easily. The affects of the poison takes 5-10 days to kick in and a mouse can move several miles in a few days. Also plenty of people use poision outside of there house. Please go drink another beer and leave the thinking to the rest of us ;)

[bad spelling grammar]

07:32 PM on 02/22/2012

Think about it, a mouse can get into your house very easily so it can get out just as easy. Also plenty of people use poison outside of there house!

[labrown]

06:32 PM on 02/22/2012

Rat poison is a blood thinner and it causes creatures that eat it to bleed out. On the other hand, extinction is as much a part of Darwinism as anything and every time people start meddling with it they make things worse. When they have tried to re-introduce "populations" they have more often become "infestations". Maybe it's people who should go the way of the dinosaur, the planet will be just fine.

[bad spelling grammar]

07:29 PM on 02/22/2012

It also causes a vitamin D deficiency in dogs and cats which is why they are prone to Mange while the poison is in their blood. And I agree earth would be a lot better of without people.

[Linus521]

12:35 PM on 02/22/2012

Ecologists maintain the appearance of plants/trees on the land's surface was the most vital, evolutionary event. While our terrestrial ecosystems cover vastly less surface of the Earth than marine systems, it is the land that supports the vast majority of all life. The wolf is a keystone specie, vital to the great continuum of all life as his ecological job is to trim the herd so the herd does not devour the Earth's plant biodiversity, devour the Earth.

If plant biodiversity is vital to the great continuum of all life, wouldn't it be logical and reasonable to champion for the existence of wolves, Earth's best friend? The greatest statement ever written on the ecology of our ecosystem dependent Earth was all about saving the wolf to save our ecosystems, to save Earth! The father of ecology witnessed an ecosystem die in the absence of her wolves.

"In wildness is the salvation of the Earth and the preservation of all life, long known among wolves and mountains but seldom perceived by man." Mountain was used as a metaphor for ecosystem, for Earth.

[retanam]

11:51 AM on 02/22/2012

I am an activist and a writer for the Mexican gray wolf. I have published a bilingual children's book, Born into the Pack/Nacer en la manada that has been a tool to educate children, teachers and parents in AZ. NM. and in Mexico since its reintroduction. To learn more about how you can help this magnificent animal go to http://www.mariaretanabooks.com

[eyelashviper]

07:59 PM on 02/22/2012

Fanned for your support for these wolves.