ALBUQUERQUE — American officials and ranchers are questioning a plan to release rare North American gray wolves in their historic range in northern Mexico: Will they stay south of the border, and what can be done if they threaten livestock?
A male, a female and two yearlings could be released in Sonora state, bordering Arizona and New Mexico, as early as October. Another release is planned for December, and more could happen next year as part of an effort by both countries to return wolves to the wild.
“I think we kind of assumed it would happen eventually, but we didn’t realize it was going to happen this quickly,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman Charna Lefton.
The Mexican agency that oversees natural resources and the environment, known as SEMARNAT, did not respond to requests for comment.
While wildlife officials and conservationists generally support the move, Lefton said, “everyone is asking the same questions.” What if the wolves cross into the United States? Will they be protected under the federal Endangered Species Act? Or will they have the same “nonessential, experimental” designation as wolves released as part of an effort in New Mexico and Arizona?
The Fish and Wildlife Service has posed those questions to its attorneys and is hoping for answers in coming weeks.
In 1998, the U.S. government began reintroducing wolves along the Arizona-New Mexico line in a 4 million-acre territory. Biologists had hoped to have at least 100 wolves by now, but recent surveys show about half that.
