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"Few animals have ever haunted our dreams or fired our imaginations more than the wolf. Unfortunately, by the early part of this century, man had almost exterminated the wolf from the lower 48 states. The recovery of the wolf is becoming an impressive conservation success story and a gift to future generations."
Bruce Babbitt
Secretary of the Interior
This section of my site is dedicated to providing news on the reintroduction
of the Mexican Gray Wolf in the Southwestern United States. I live in Phoenix,
Arizona so you might say that I have a special interest in this particular program.
But please remember that all efforts, anywhere, to help reestablish wolves in the
wild are just as important.
I will try to keep the news I am posting as current as possible, but please
be patient with me if it seems to fall behind. If you have any questions or comments
feel free to either email me or put it in my guestbook. You can find a form on my
"Links"
page to email me directly from this site.
Background on the Program
To conserve and ensure the survival of the Mexican Gray Wolf ( Canis lupus baileyi ) by maintaining a captive breeding program and reestablishing a viable, self-sustaining population of at least 100 Mexican wolves in the middle to high elevations of a 5000 square-mile area within the Mexican wolf's historic range.
Stated in the objective of the Mexican Wolf Recovery Team developed in 1979
The Program selected the Blue Range area -- the Apache National Forest in eastern Arizona and the Gila National Forest in western New Mexico ( see map below ) -- as the reintroduction site. This area has a large, versified, population of animals that are the natural prey of the wolves. It is more resilient to drought and covers almost 7000 square miles of the Mexican Gray Wolf's historic range, as opposed to the 5000 originally planned.
The plan is to release about three family groups a year, for three to five years, or until it is apparent that the recovery goal of 100 wolves can be reached by reproduction in the wild.
The original release was 11 wolves, in three different family groups. They were kept in pens, called acclimation pens, to get them used to the conditions in the area and used to one another. The pens were located in different sections of the reintroduction area.
Latest News
May 31, 1999
The three members of the Gavilan Pack and their 5 pups ( four males and one female
- about six weeks old now ) were captured at the Coalson pen where they have been held since
March. On May 21, they were transfered several miles by helicopter to Horse Springs
Canyon. Within 24 hours of the transfer, the wolves chewed their way out of the temporary
holding pen. They remain in the release area and are being closely monitored and supplementally
fed while the pups are still small.
On May 22, two adult wolves ( male and female - both four years old ) and their
four pups were transfered to Alpine from the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge.
High winds interfered with the transfer of the wolves to the release area that same
day, so they were held overnight in crates. The next morning they were transfered by
helicopter to a staging area just outside of the Blue Range Primitive Area (BRPA).
They were then transported in specially designed panniers on mules to a temporary
holding pen at Rousensock Creek inside the BRPA. This pack then chewed through the temporary
holding pen also. They are also being closely monitored and supplementally fed.
This pack is the first release within the Blue Range Primitive Area, and the first
transfer of any wolves (anywhere) that is known, on the backs of mules -- both are
landmarks for the program.
It has been desided that the new pack will be designated "the Mule Pack".
I have received most of my information from:
CREDIT: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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