Wolf Conservation Center Press Releases

Trump Administration Allows Ranchers to Kill Endangered Mexican Wolf  

February 24, 2026 Comments Off on Trump Administration Allows Ranchers to Kill Endangered Mexican Wolf  

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A newly revealed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service document allows Catron County ranchers to kill any one endangered Mexican gray wolf who happens to be in the area of two grazing allotments near Quemado, New Mexico. The permit doesn’t identify which wolf the ranchers can shoot, nor does it specify livestock lost to wolves preceding this kill authorization.  Several wolf families are in the area, including a likely pregnant, genetically valuable female wolf of the Elk Horn pack who was named Nora by the Endangered Wolf Center in Missouri before she was released into the Arizona wild as a pup in 2020. Nora is one of the 21% of genetically valuable captive-born pups known to have survived such releases without their birthparents.  “The permit allows the permittees to kill any wolf they see on private or federal land, in retribution for alleged and undisclosed livestock losses. This…

Wolf Conservation Center Study Finds Coastal Coyotes Preserve Red Wolf Ancestry Through Survival and Adaptation

February 11, 2026 Comments Off on Wolf Conservation Center Study Finds Coastal Coyotes Preserve Red Wolf Ancestry Through Survival and Adaptation

Distinct body form and high survival of coastal coyotes along the Texas-Louisiana border region allow coyotes harboring red wolf ancestry to persist decades after the red wolf’s extirpation from the region.  South Salem, NY — A new study led by the Wolf Conservation Center Integrative Ecology and Coexistence Lab and published in Ecosphere reveals how red wolf ancestry has persisted for more than four decades after the red wolf was declared extirpated from the wild. The research shows that a combination of distinctive physical traits adapted to coastal wetlands and high survival has allowed coyotes to harbor, maintain, and pass on red wolf genetics. The study focused on hybrid-like coyotes referred to as “Gulf Coast canids,” living in coastal wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico that retained significant red wolf ancestry. Researchers found that these coastal coyotes form a stable, locally adapted wetland ecotype shaped by historical red wolf introgression…

Taylor, the Boundary-Defying Wolf, Found Dead on Interstate 40 in New Mexico

January 21, 2026 Comments Off on Taylor, the Boundary-Defying Wolf, Found Dead on Interstate 40 in New Mexico

For immediate release: January 21, 2026 Albuquerque, N.M. – Taylor, the Mexican gray wolf made famous for establishing a home range last year near Mount Taylor, and returning there twice after having been removed despite a federal rule banning wolves north of Interstate 40, was found dead over the weekend on the  interstate near Grants, New Mexico.  “This is such an unfortunate outcome for Taylor, who showed us so much about how wolves choose their own habitats, regardless of the lines that humans draw on maps,” said Greta Anderson, deputy director of Western Watersheds Project. “But it’s also a positive development that the agencies were letting him stay outside of the artificial boundary for so long and giving him the opportunity to be wild on Mt. Taylor. His life firmly demonstrated the suitability of wolf habitat in these mountains, and we can only hope that he’s not the last wolf choosing…

Mexican Gray Wolf Rule Eliminates Cap on Population, Restricts Killing

May 13, 2022 Comments Off on Mexican Gray Wolf Rule Eliminates Cap on Population, Restricts Killing

New Federal Management Rule Still Falls Short on Genetic Diversity by Rejecting Science-Based Reforms SILVER CITY, N.M.— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed today that it will eliminate its…

Over 81,000 Demand Support For Long-Term Mexican Gray Wolf Conservation

January 27, 2022 Comments Off on Over 81,000 Demand Support For Long-Term Mexican Gray Wolf Conservation

For Immediate Release January 27, 2022 Contact: Sandy Bahr, Chapter Director for Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon (Arizona) Chapter, 602-999-5790, Sandy.Bahr@sierraclub.org Patricia Estrella, Representative, New Mexico, Defenders of Wildlife, 505-395-7334, PEstrella@defenders.org…

Mexican Gray Wolf “Anubis” Returns to Northern Arizona

October 27, 2021 Comments Off on Mexican Gray Wolf “Anubis” Returns to Northern Arizona

For immediate release October 27, 2021 Media contacts: Emily Renn, Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project (928)202-1325; emily@gcwolfrecovery.org Greta Anderson, Western Watersheds Project (520)623-1878; greta@westernwatersheds.org Sandy Bahr, Sierra Club – Grand…

Court Ruling: Federal Government Must Address Poaching in Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Plan

October 15, 2021 Comments Off on Court Ruling: Federal Government Must Address Poaching in Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Plan

Decision forces U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to fix flawed recovery plan October 15, 2021 – Tucson, AZ– In response to a lawsuit by conservation groups, a judge has ruled…

Take Action to Keep Endangered Mexican Gray Wolf Wild and Free in Northern Arizona

June 30, 2021 Comments Off on Take Action to Keep Endangered Mexican Gray Wolf Wild and Free in Northern Arizona

Endangered Mexican gray wolf Anubis (m2520) is at risk of capture and translocation just for roaming the forests north of Interstate 40. A solitary subadult male Mexican gray wolf has…

Conservation Groups Ask Biden Administration to Restore Protections for Northern Rockies Wolves

June 16, 2021 Comments Off on Conservation Groups Ask Biden Administration to Restore Protections for Northern Rockies Wolves

More than 50 wildlife conservation groups, including the Wolf Conservation Center, today asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to immediately restore Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections to gray wolves…

Trump Administration Officially Ends Protections for Gray Wolves Nationwide

October 29, 2020 Comments Off on Trump Administration Officially Ends Protections for Gray Wolves Nationwide

Nationwide Delisting Poised to Have Deadly Implications for Wolves OCTOBER 29, 2020 — The U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced today that the Trump administration is officially stripping federal Endangered…

Last Remaining Adults of Wedge Wolf Pack to be Killed to Protect Cows

August 11, 2020 Comments Off on Last Remaining Adults of Wedge Wolf Pack to be Killed to Protect Cows

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Director Kelly Susewind has reauthorized WDFW staff to kill the two remaining adult members of the Wedge wolf pack to protect cows. WDFW…

40K+ WEIGH IN ON MEXICAN GRAY WOLVES

June 15, 2020 Comments Off on 40K+ WEIGH IN ON MEXICAN GRAY WOLVES

For Immediate Release June 15, 2020Contact: Sandy Bahr, Grand Canyon Chapter Sierra Club, (602) 999-5790, sandy.bahr@sierraclub.org Rebecca Bullis, Defenders of Wildlife, (202) 772-0295, rbullis@defenders.org Kelly Burke, Wild Arizona, (928) 606-7870,…

Memos Show Feds Killed Four Endangered Mexican Gray Wolves in Late March

April 7, 2020 Comments Off on Memos Show Feds Killed Four Endangered Mexican Gray Wolves in Late March

Bloodiest Week in Southwestern Wolf Mismanagement Since 2006 For Immediate Release, April 7, 2020 CONTACT Michael Robinson, Center for Biological Diversity, (575) 313-7017, michaelr@biologicaldiversity.orgMaggie Howell, Wolf Conservation Center, (914) 763-2373,…

Wild Wolf Pup Dragging Leghold Trap in Gila

November 27, 2019 Comments Off on Wild Wolf Pup Dragging Leghold Trap in Gila

Another pup is undergoing treatment as private trapping continues to take a toll on endangered species and public lands For immediate release – November 27, 2019 Media Contacts: Chris Smith,…

N.C. Governor Urges USFWS to Save Nation’s Last Red Wolves from Extinction

November 25, 2019 Comments Off on N.C. Governor Urges USFWS to Save Nation’s Last Red Wolves from Extinction

Only fourteen red wolves are left in the wild. Today, in letters obtained by Defenders of Wildlife, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural…