Thursday, July 24, 2014
According
to the agency, the wolves were driven from the wolf sanctuary in
Sevilleta to the Gila Cliff Dwellings on Monday night, then packed into
the wilderness for release. The
female wolf is one who was recaptured in May after becoming separated
from her mate and having six pups with no wildlife experience,
officials said.
Two of the pups were put with another pair of wolves that had a smaller litter and more rearing experience. At the sanctuary, the mother and her four remaining pups were reintroduced to a former mate, who officials say adopted the pups as his own.
January numbers show that there were 83 Mexican wolves — 46 in New Mexico and 37 in Arizona — in the wild.
Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity said he was happy that wolves were being released into the wild but still had concerns that they were coming from only five breeding pairs.
"There's a lot of inbreeding going on and we are seeing smaller litters of pups," he said.
On Thursday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also announced a proposal aimed at the release of captive-bred wolves into new areas of New Mexico and parts of Arizona. The move, which is subject to 60 days of public comment, would expand areas where Mexican wolves can be released and disperse, allowing them to roam from the Mexican border to Interstate 40. "Over the last 16 years, we have learned much about managing a wild population of Mexican wolves," Southwest Regional Director Ben Tuggle said. "And it is clear that the current rule does not provide the clarity or the flexibility needed to effectively manage the experimental population in a working landscape."
Robinson said the center was encouraged that more wolves will be able to roam more widely under the proposals. However, he said the proposed changes also broaden guidelines allowing ranchers to kill Mexican wolves. "Increasing the authority to kill wolves is disappointing and will further imperil them," he said.
source
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Two of the pups were put with another pair of wolves that had a smaller litter and more rearing experience. At the sanctuary, the mother and her four remaining pups were reintroduced to a former mate, who officials say adopted the pups as his own.
January numbers show that there were 83 Mexican wolves — 46 in New Mexico and 37 in Arizona — in the wild.
Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity said he was happy that wolves were being released into the wild but still had concerns that they were coming from only five breeding pairs.
"There's a lot of inbreeding going on and we are seeing smaller litters of pups," he said.
On Thursday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also announced a proposal aimed at the release of captive-bred wolves into new areas of New Mexico and parts of Arizona. The move, which is subject to 60 days of public comment, would expand areas where Mexican wolves can be released and disperse, allowing them to roam from the Mexican border to Interstate 40. "Over the last 16 years, we have learned much about managing a wild population of Mexican wolves," Southwest Regional Director Ben Tuggle said. "And it is clear that the current rule does not provide the clarity or the flexibility needed to effectively manage the experimental population in a working landscape."
Robinson said the center was encouraged that more wolves will be able to roam more widely under the proposals. However, he said the proposed changes also broaden guidelines allowing ranchers to kill Mexican wolves. "Increasing the authority to kill wolves is disappointing and will further imperil them," he said.
source
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Coronado Pack Update
On July 22, the Coronado pack, consisting of male Mexican wolf 1051 (M1051), alpha female (AF) 1126 and her four pups, were translocated into the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area. The six wolves were being held at the Service's Sevilleta Wolf Management Facility until they were transported Monday evening by vehicle to the trailhead near the Gila Cliff Dwellings adjacent to New Mexico's Gila Wilderness. The following morning, the wolves were packed into the wilderness by mule and released into an enclosure that is intentionally designed to allow them to chew through and self-release.
See previous Coronado Pack updates at: http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/CEBRWRA.cfm
Coronado pack being transferred by mule into the Gila Wilderness 7/22/14
Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
source
On July 22, the Coronado pack, consisting of male Mexican wolf 1051 (M1051), alpha female (AF) 1126 and her four pups, were translocated into the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area. The six wolves were being held at the Service's Sevilleta Wolf Management Facility until they were transported Monday evening by vehicle to the trailhead near the Gila Cliff Dwellings adjacent to New Mexico's Gila Wilderness. The following morning, the wolves were packed into the wilderness by mule and released into an enclosure that is intentionally designed to allow them to chew through and self-release.
See previous Coronado Pack updates at: http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/CEBRWRA.cfm
Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
source
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