Mexican Gray Wolves Are Under Attack!

A lot has happened lately, and we have both good news and bad news for lobos of the southwest. A few quick updates to get you up to speed:

USDA whistleblower reveals unjustified wolf killings and removals

A report in The Intercept was published this week detailing three years of investigative work by Western Watersheds Project in coordination with an agency whistleblower, uncovering systemic fraud and corruption by the federal Wildlife Services program, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The report detailed fraudulent profiteering by ranch owners resulting in the unnecessary death and incarceration of endangered Mexican gray wolves. 

The report confirms what wolf advocates have known for quite some time: That predation incidents attributed to Mexican wolves are drastically lower than what is reported.

Wildlife Services’ role as investigator of depredation incidents leaves them directly responsible for fraudulent and falsified reports confirming wolf kills. Wolf conflicts with cattle are significantly overstated so ranchers can obtain compensation for livestock losses when the animals died from other causes (sometimes due to their own negligence).

This racketeering scheme has placed these wolves in the crosshairs of a culture war they don’t deserve.

Project Coyote Science Advisor and The Rewilding Institute Carnivore Conservation Biologist Dave Parsons was quoted in the article highlighting the mismanagement of Mexican wolves by our federal agencies stating, “No positive advancement in the Mexican wolf recovery project was ever taken by the initiative of the agencies. It was always forced by litigation.” 

This is true for both the recent updates made to the Mexican gray wolf recovery plan as well as the recently released final draft of the 10(j) management rule: litigation has been the only driver of science-based advancement for the species. 

Image of captive-born Mexican gray wolf pups courtesy of NM BioPark.   

Updates to the Mexican gray wolf recovery plan

We mobilized our supporters to submit comments on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) revised Mexican gray wolf recovery plan. Over 49,000 comments were submitted. The revised plan came in response to a court order from October 2021, when a federal district court judge ruled that the USFWS failed to include specific actions addressing human-caused mortality of Mexican gray wolves. Our comments detailed the best-available science on how USFWS could effectively address human-caused mortality in the population. A key recommendation we made was to resolve all livestock-wolf conflicts through non-lethal methods, thus reducing wolf mortalities and removals

USFWS finalizes the Mexican gray wolf 10(j) management rule

Directly following the close of the comment period for the recovery plan, the USFWS released their draft decision on the new Mexican gray wolf 10(j) management rule, which comes in response to yet another court order. 

The 10(j) management rule sets enforceable regulations for managing the Mexican gray wolf experimental population within the defined recovery area, in contrast to the species recovery plan above, which is a guidance document that details how to minimize threats and lays out specific actions to restore a self-sustaining population. Despite receiving overwhelming public comments on the 10(j) management plan, USFWS made no significant changes. 

“The Service admits that they received approximately 82,000 public comments that somehow did not result in substantial changes to their final environmental impact statement,” explains Michelle Lute, PhD in wolf conservation and national carnivore conservation manager for Project Coyote. “This lack of accountability to the public who supports strong lobo recovery tells you everything you need to know about the Service’s leadership on the issue. So much more can and should be done to protect wolves and promote coexistence.”

In apparent good news, USFWS eliminated its current population cap of 325 Mexican gray wolves that are allowed to live in the region in this draft, an artificially low number that was a hindrance to true species recovery. But “smoke and mirrors” language in the rule ties the population objective for the U.S. population to the recovery plan, which currently states that only 320 wolves are needed in the U.S. population to achieve full recovery. And the draft rule still rejects science-based reforms that would greatly assist species recovery and increase genetic diversity, such as releasing bonded pairs and their pups. 

Instead, USFWS is doubling down on its program of cross-fostering, or placing pups born in captivity with wild litters. Only 13 of the 72 cross-fostered pups that have already been released to unrelated wolves are confirmed alive today. Just four of these wolves are known to have reproduced, and only six of the offspring, all from just one of those four wolves, are known to be alive. Inbreeding in the population continues to increase as the service drags its feet on releases of well-bonded pairs.

Protecting wolves on the ground

We’ve been advocating for the protection of the Seco Creek pack, a genetically valuable wolf pack residing in Gila National Forest that is currently under threat. Wildfires are raging near their den. Instead of doing something productive for a region in crisis, two New Mexico elected officials have demanded the removal of this genetically important family of Mexican gray wolves in retaliation for a handful of livestock losses, though it is unclear from the investigations whether wolves were actually responsible for the cattle deaths.

The Seco Creek pack breeding male, M1693, is considered one of the most genetically valuable Mexican gray wolves. Born in captivity in 2018 and cross-fostered to increase genetic diversity, he is one of only four cross-fostered wolves known to be alive and potentially breeding today.

The Seco Creek pack is likely denning and disturbing the pack now could result in the death of wolves that are so critical for the species’ continuity. The Seco Creek lobos are raising their young on the public lands of the Gila National Forest where wolves are native wildlife belonging to all Americans. 

“For the American public and for Mexican wolves, USFWS needs to get it right this time and leave these wolves in the wild where they belong,” said Renee Seacor, carnivore conservation advocate for Project Coyote and the Rewilding Institute. “Fostering coexistence in this region with Mexican gray wolves, including the Seco Creek pack, is critical for their long-term recovery.”

 ing ing    Image of a Mexican gray wolf on its way to be released in the wild courtesy of NM BioPark.    

What’s happening with the Seco Creek pack is eerily reminiscent of the smear campaign conducted against the Prieto pack, which was ultimately wiped out in 2020 by Wildlife Services after complaints about conflict with cattle. Now, thanks to The Intercept’s report, we know fraudulent livestock depredation reports determined their fate. 

This is why Endangered Species Act protections are not enough; wolves can still be killed in situations where political agendas escalate conflict like this one.  

All of these updates tell us a few things:

1. Mexican gray wolf recovery is being obstructed by unjustified wolf removals conducted by Wildlife Services;
2. Lobos need our advocacy now more than ever;
3. The typical public comment and participation processes are not working and are being completely disregarded. 

So we need to shift tactics. Take ACTION today:

If you’re as outraged as we are, we need your voice. Call the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General Hotline and demand they respond to this new report and open up a full investigation into their Wildlife Services offices in New Mexico and Arizona.

• Call the Inspector General hotline number: (800) 424-9121; (202) 690-1202 (TDD). All calls must be placed Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (EST). Press 7 to file a complaint.
• State you are calling in regards to the investigation report published in The Intercept that details the fraudulent and corrupt actions towards Mexican gray wolves by Wildlife Services agents in New Mexico and Arizona. Specifically, highlight that they are falsifying and misreporting depredations erroneously and confirming wolf kills without evidence, which allows fraudulent claims for compensation by livestock owners. Ask for a full investigation into these allegations.

Thank you for advocating for Lobos in the Southwest!

Renee Seacor
Carnivore Conservation Advocate