Mexico City officials reported on Thursday that the first known litter of gray wolves has been born recently. The gray wolf had disappeared completely from the wild in Mexico about three decades ago and this is part of a reintroduction program of the species so that they can no longer remain endangered.
Mexico’s National Commission for Natural Protected Areas stated that these litter sightings were of tremendous value and represented an important step in the recovery program since these pups have never come in contact with humans as opposed to wolves which breed in captivity.
The Mexican Gray Wolf was almost erased from existence in the US Southwest because of hunting, trapping and poisoning. As part of the reintroduction program the first wolves were released in to the wild in the Southwest starting in 1998 focusing mainly on Arizona and New Mexico. Now a US Fish and Wildlife Service has released an annual survey which showed that in January there were at least 83 of these exotic predators in Arizona and New Mexico. Regardless of the efforts of the concerned authorities the Mexican gray wolf remains an endangered species and continuous efforts are required to restore the balance that has been disturbed.
