Flat Mexican Wolf Count Points to Need for Increased Collaboration

Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released the official Mexican gray wolf count for 2017. According to the count, there are 114 lobos in Arizona and New Mexico, which is only one more than last year’s count.

Bryan Bird, Southwest program director, issued this statement:

“These numbers clearly show that more work needs to be done to recover the Mexican gray wolf. It is essential that science, not politics, guides recovery efforts for these rarest of wolves. It is also clear that we must get better at working together to resolve our human conflicts that jeopardize the future of the animals and landscapes that are so important to us.

“It has been 20 years since these wolves were first reintroduced in the wild and we've learned they can succeed, but we as humans have much more work to do. Now more than ever the wolves need a strong, science-based plan to guide their recovery; not the recently approved scheme that is a result of the same politics that led to the wolves' near extinction. These are one of the most persecuted and misunderstood animals of all time. We must do more to ensure their future and restore the ecological, cultural and economic benefits that can accompany their return"