Defenders of Wildlife Statement on Mexican Gray Wolf Release

Defenders of Wildlife Southwest Program Director Bryan Bird issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service release of Mexican gray wolf f2754, a female from the Rocky Prairie pack, back to Arizona after it was captured crossing Interstate 40 hundreds of miles away from the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area. Her movement toward Colorado shows the Mexican gray wolf’s ability to thrive outside its arbitrarily designated population area in Arizona and New Mexico.  
 
“Asha, the female Mexican gray wolf wandered north towards Colorado, her movement is encouraging and serves as more evidence that there is good wolf habitat in northern New Mexico,” Bird said.” The timing of Asha’s release following a hearing on the recovery plan in court may be fortuitous.” 

The release comes days after a federal hearing on the potential rewrite of the Mexican gray wolf recovery plan -- petitioned for by Defenders and partners in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit -- which could have a positive impact on the wolf’s freedom to roam northward.