The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced today their decision to deny a petition to relist the Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) as a separate subspecies of gray wolf (Canis lupus) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). WildEarth Guardians petitioned to relist the Mexican wolf as a separate subspecies in 2009, apart from other gray wolf species and subspecies, in hopes that this genetically, morphologically, and geographically distinct subspecies would be afforded additional protection. In a press release, Mark Salvo, Wildlife Program Director for WildEarth Guardians states “The Service’s decision is unacceptable. The Endangered Species Act specifically allows for protection for separate subspecies of animals, and separate listing would benefit the failing, flailing Mexican wolf recovery program.” It’s estimated that less than 58 Mexican wolves now call their ancestral wilds of the southwest home, and many fear that USFWS’s latest decision will only further impede the recovery of this rare species.

Read WildEarth Guardians press release here: http://www.wildearthguardians.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=7981&news_iv_ctrl=1194