The Grey Areas Of The Mexican Grey Wolf Population In Arizona

Recently, Arizona went into an uproar over the unsanctioned murder of an endangered Mexican Grey Wolf in Greenlee County. The species is one of the most endangered in America, and this was a devastating blow to their population growth.

Now, the tables have turned, and Cochise County is looking for a way to keep the population in check.

Predators Gonna Prey

While the Mexican Grey Wolf is a protected species in the U.S., their growth has begun to cause trouble, especially in southern Arizona. These are predators, and they thrive by hunting and killing prey. Unfortunately, the most available prey in this area is not wildlife, rather, the cattle and other livestock raised on ranches.

This has lead to an economic downturn among ranchers and producers in the county, and they need a solution. Obviously the Wolves must be allowed to continue living and repopulating in the area, but how far is too far?

Endangered Wolf Killed By Feds in Arizona 

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Downlisting the Population

The hope for ranchers and producers is to allow the population to thrive without having them effect their output. The answer? Keep the federal Mexican Grey Wolf program fully funded to allow for population growth and, more importantly, transfer.

The plan is to capture and transfer entire packs back to Mexico, where they will be allowed to continue growing their population. This is expected to move forward by 2028, hopefully allowing local ranchers to breathe a sigh of relief, as they can simultaneously help the population growth while also protecting their own financial and economic interests.

[CochiseCountyAZ via YouTube]