Mexican Gray Wolf

Wolf recovery failing as ranchers are left out of equation
Jun. 22, 2008

Aaaahhhoooooooo! The wolf howls as it stands over its recent kill of a calf. A leaf falls in the forest as another season changes from fall to winter, and a ranch family stands on its porch with a telemetry antenna to determine if their dogs are barking at a wolf approaching their home.

Two days later, they take one of their prized animals, an 8-year-old trained dog, to the veterinarian to stitch up a wound from an encounter with a wolf. This is real nature, an actual occurrence and what is happening under the current wolf-recovery program today. So, you can understand why ranching families in northeastern Arizona are concerned about the direction of the Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program.

The wolf-recovery program is failing. It is not failing because ranch families are protecting their homes, property and animals. It is failing because the reintroduction of a "top of the chain" predator, with mixed canine bloodlines (the current population of wolves has a 2 to 3 percent mixture of coyote ancestry) has become a political pawn for those who want to vilify or remove ranching families from the area. Read More

Farmers and ranchers are on the front lines when it comes to preserving wildlife. Any attempts at re-introducing species will be a failure if farmers and ranchers are not considered a stake holder in the process.