Deadly Month for Lobos

El Departamento de Caza y Pesca de Arizona (AZGFD) anunció en el Mexican Wolf Recovery Program Monthly Update  that five critically endangered Mexican gray wolves – three in New Mexico and two in Arizona – were found dead last month.

In Arizona, wildlife officials found Mexican gray wolf f1792 (a.k.a. “Paprika”) and an uncollared male wolf associated with the Wolf Mountain pack in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest and have announced a reward of up to $37,000 for information regarding the deaths.

One of the wolves found dead in New Mexico was uncollared, the two others were identified as Mexican wolves mp1845 (a.k.a. “Sumo” ) and M1821 (a.k.a. “Avlavis”).

These incidents are currently under investigation.  

Also in March, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) secretly authorized the killing of four additional Mexican gray wolves in New Mexico on behalf of the livestock industry.  Because the USFWS has a policy of not making these removal orders transparent to the public, stakeholders learned of the killings via Tres notas posted  online after the fact.

“El Centro de Conservación de Lobos ha comprometido casi 20 años de recursos para la recuperación del lobo gris mexicano en asociación con el USFWS”, dijo Maggie Howell, directora ejecutiva del Centro de Conservación de Lobos. “Que nuestros socios estén abiertos a dar este golpe innecesario a la recuperación del lobo es más que decepcionante. Dado el estado precario de la especie, matar nunca debería ser una herramienta de gestión”.

Peer-reviewed research demonstrates that killing predators is not only a crude and ineffective solution to deter depredation on cows, it can even result in increased attacks. Moreover, removals are disruptive to pack dynamics and can also give rise to yet further conflict.

Studies show that non-lethal measures are the best means for protecting cattle, sheep, and other domestic animals from depredation. Such methods include sanitary carcass removal, fladry, synchronizing birthing seasons with native ungulates, changing livestock types or breeds, spotlights, airhorns, guard animals, range riders, electric fencing, and Foxlights. 

Despite the benefits of nonlethal methods, neither the Fish and Wildlife Service nor the U.S. Forest Service requires livestock permittees to take any non-lethal measures to prevent conflicts with wolves on public lands, including our national forests.

Según el último recuento, se estima que hay 163 lobos grises mexicanos viviendo en Arizona y Nuevo México.

Fondo:

Los lobos grises mexicanos son el linaje de lobos grises genéticamente más distinto del hemisferio occidental y uno de los mamíferos más amenazados de América del Norte. A mediados de la década de 1980, la caza, las trampas y el envenenamiento provocaron la extinción de los lobos en la naturaleza, quedando solo un puñado en cautiverio. En 1998, los lobos fueron reintroducidos en la naturaleza como parte de un programa federal de reintroducción bajo la Ley de Especies en Peligro de Extinción.