Mexican Wolf Releases

4 out of 5 Mexican wolves released in Sonora Mexico are Dead.

January 23, 2012
By admin

I translated this with Google translate so it isn’t the best version. Original link.

Mourning national conservation
Bastien Hole Marielena | Opinion
18.01.2012 | Creation Time: 1:57:07 | Last Modified: 1:58:16

I write these lines still dry mouth, sensitive and irreversible after the events to which I refer Wednesday and that first I could not believe. Hence, retain the information so far. And I find it inexplicable that raised far from the huge scandal that correspond to one of the most serious environmental crimes that have suffered recently, the facts have been hidden, as is the case of the killing, by running over one and poisoning other 3 copies of the 5 family of Mexican wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) that were recently released into Sonora territory. Of course that is already a criminal complaint filed with the Specialized Unit for Investigation of Crimes against the Environment and planned Special Laws of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), and that the preliminary investigation is including timely follow-up, however, is to draw attention, once again, that the event is being handled at such a low profile, and both from the environmental authorities (Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources-National Commission of Natural Protected Areas, Wildlife Department) as Naturalia, A. C., the civic organization that promoted, and that gives me the impression that while once and it had to be, also precipitated the reintroduction of the specimens to the wild, in an effort to cap a great first effort returning them to their habitat , even a small part of the wider region that historically belonged to, being as they are, a species extinct in the wild, as only small groups are in captivity, both in the United States and here in our country, not being in total over 400 individuals with the stakes are the survival of the smallest subspecies of gray wolf that tried to eradicate the middle of last century, everything, because the wolf has always been the villain of the story.

I worry that in the little information I could RECAVA unofficially, no man assures me it has been carried out the rescue of the alpha female, now alone at the mercy of the infamous who killed his family because they keep it that way, with everything and be monitored by carrying a telemetry collar would be sentenced to certain death because what happened happened and how it happened, and because being wolf needs a group … is said to bring a male think, but …

Should be strengthened first formal commitment to serious and ranchers in the area to fully convince them of the benefits from the presence of wolves on their land, because by then I was told that 4 ranch owners with which they spoke to locate within his farm at 5 great-an adult couple and three young children, said only one contributor to open this historic release. Hence observe rainfall … who or what or whom and for what … are outstanding responses to prevent further devastating sacrifices of these poor animals originally bred parents carefully selected to avoid inbreeding … possible care later in their development with extensive care and love to get a couple conform to soon give puppies … and once all integrated, with a view to removing them from re-education of humans and to teach them to hunt and survive in the wild, an issue that took more than two decades, said to be easy, but that effort was completed in less than sings a rooster, since Oct. 11 when the animals got loose, and by December had ended. In addition, I have to tell you that while he prepared for this family, in a property located in Nuevo Leon and prepared expressly for the purpose, was to locate the place, seeking to have enough length, adequate vegetation and especially appropriate prey and was far from any human community and their livestock herds to avoid conflict, which was of no avail because even prevented the possibility of that attack on the animals, say some bad experiences across the border, apparently never felt so likely to happen in Mexico. Pride ¿? A saber.

I say that the prosecutor is in charge of the case by the PGR has many years of experience, but more than that commitment to the field. I know of José Ricardo Rodriguez Soria, but I hope his background sooner quickly find the true ecocidal, which no mercy will surely be imposed the maximum penalty provided by law for such a dramatic event, as well as a high financial penalty, punishment can include up to 9 years in prison. Otherwise, I am aware that for his part, Dr. Hernando Guerrero, head of the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection, is very attentive to the issue, closing clip, but still, we also hope that accurate information is released and that for the next release will not save so much reserve, but rather the opposite, so that animals are protected by society, which ultimately are the ones through tax fund any program officer, and therefore MUST NOT HIDE WE MINIMIZE ANY DATA OR LESS IMPORTANT AS A RELEASE even had to be announced with fanfare by President Felipe Calderon himself. Yes … at that level. Or less, punctuated by the Secretary Juan Rafael Elvira. This magnitude deserved the reintroduction of wolves, which in itself would have been basic to protect them.

In another case … how ignorant of the singer Emmanuel!, Supposedly very interested in the ecological and acomedido to nag about it. Someone could inform me what Holbox town belongs, and that the whale shark is a fish, the largest planet by the way, and not a marine mammal as recently noted in an interview with Joaquin Lopez Doriga my dear, who for also gave a color with the atrocities of that, and …

Term referring to another goal for zoos capital, with the arrival of a pair of giant pandas, on Monday, France, where they remain for 10 years. And us stateless? Pepe Fed Bernal trip to China and our pundits spending his last years in singleness.

As always, I say goodbye leaving my email available to what is offered: producciones_serengueti@yahoo.com

2011 Mexican Wolf Program Management Incidents Reports. Catron Co.

January 10, 2012
By admin

2011 complaint/investigation Results:

Wolf-Animal Incidents;

confirmed wolf depredations – cattle=23, horse colt=1,

probable wolf depredations – cattle= 2

injuries wolf confirmed – cattle=5

Wolf Related Incidences=total 31

unknown cattle deaths =13; includes not found in time to investigate,
lost evidence due to advanced decomposition, scavenging by
canines etc.

confirmed bear depredations – cattle=3

shipping sickness- cattle=1

Mexican authorities to release Mexican wolves in Sonora

September 14, 2011
By admin


Posted in: News Media
Sep 12, 2011

PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department has been informed that Mexican authorities plan to release five Mexican wolves this month at an undisclosed ranch location in northeastern Sonora, Mexico.

While the department does not know the specific date or other details at this time, it has received indications that the wolves being released will be fitted with satellite tracking collars.

Game and Fish is currently considering what, if any, impacts this release might have on Arizona’s Mexican wolf conservation and stakeholders. The department will continue to monitor activities related to the planned release and will continue to inform constituents as information becomes available.

Arizona Game and Fish has been actively involved in the multi-partner effort reintroducing Mexican wolves to portions of their historical range in the east-central portion of the state for many years. In 1998, 11 captive-reared Mexican wolves were released into the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area (BRWRA) in eastern Arizona. The current population was assessed to be around 50 animals during 2011 monitoring.

The Mexican wolf is considered endangered in the United States.

Extremists file another EAJA funded lawsuit. Lawsuit Launched to Protect Mexican Gray Wolves From Leghold Traps

August 18, 2011
By admin

For Immediate Release, August 17, 2011
Contact: Michael Robinson, (575) 534-0360
Lawsuit Launched to Protect Mexican Gray Wolves From Leghold Traps
New Mexico Officials Approved Traps, Ignoring Injured and Killed Wolves
SILVER CITY, N.M.— The Center for Biological Diversity today filed a formal notice of intent to sue the New Mexico State Game Commission and New Mexico Department of Game and Fish over the commission’s recent vote to resume recreational trapping in the Gila National Forest, where federally protected, endangered Mexican gray wolves live. Besides being listed under the Endangered Species Act, the wolves are also listed as endangered under state law.
“With only 50 animals and just two breeding pairs surviving in the wild, Mexican wolves can’t afford more losses to these cruel leghold traps,” said the Center’s Michael Robinson. “Responsible hunters know their targets, but trapping is indiscriminate. And while hunters aim for a clean and quick kill, trapped wolves can suffer debilitating and even fatal injuries while struggling to get free.”
A recent report disclosed that, since wolf reintroduction began in 1998, five Mexican wolves have sustained injuries — including some requiring foot and leg amputations — and two other wolves have died as a result of trapping by private parties in the Gila National Forest. This does not include wolves trapped by federal officials on behalf of the livestock industry, which has not occurred since 2007 and is not at issue in today’s notice.
Recreational trapping in the Gila National Forest was halted by the game commission in November 2010 to protect endangered wolves. But on July 21, upon recommendation of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the game commission voted to allow trapping in the Gila to resume, while misrepresenting the report documenting the five wolf injuries and two fatalities to trapping as somehow providing justification.
The Endangered Species Act was signed into law in 1973 to conserve imperiled species and their ecosystems; it specifically bans trapping of endangered animals. Yet the Game Commission and Department’s recent decision authorizes trapping that is known to capture protected wolves, causing illegal “take” (harassment, harm or killing) to occur.
While the 1998 federal rule authorizing reintroduction of Mexican gray wolves allowed some “accidental” trapping of wolves, trapping a wolf within its known range “will not be considered unavoidable, accidental, or unintentional take, unless due care was exercised to avoid taking a wolf.” In allowing trapping again, the game commission has not exercised due care.

The endangered species tax

August 1, 2011
By admin

by Hugh Holub on Jul. 29, 2011, under endangered species act, politics

http://tucsoncitizen.com/view-from-baja-arizona/2011/07/29/the-endangered-species-tax/

The Endangered Species Act commits us to saving not only every species…but every sub-species and every distinct population segment of a species or a sub-species.
Sounds like a popular idea in concept.
But does anyone realize how much this is costing our economy?
We have in effect an Endangered Species tax in this country.
The Endangered Species Tax is expressed in two ways.
The first way is virtually every federal project that involves disturbing the environment has to go through an Endangered Species Act review.
US Fish and Wildlife gets a chance to extort money from other federal agencies in exchange for approving other federal project activity.
Take for example the $50 million US Fish and Wildlife got from Department of Homeland Security to study bats because the Border Patrol drives around federal lands and they might run over a protected lizard.
Or take the millions of dollars being transfered from the Central Arizona Project to restoire native fish in Arizona becvause in theory exotic fish from the CAP canals could swim up the Ssanta Cruz River and eat native fish.
Whatever Congress appropriates to to US Fish and Wildlife, that agency controls vastly more money through “inter-agency agreements” with other federal agencies where Fish and Wildlife extorted money from thos other agencies in exchange for allowing their projects to go forward.
Congress needs to dig into all the inter-agency agreements between US Fish and Wildlife and other federal agencies and find out just how munch money Fish and Wildlife really controls. I’ll bet that will surprise a lot of people.
And then Congress needs to stop US Fish and Wildlife from hijacking other federal agency funds.
The second Endangered Species Tax is the cost added to every project in the country that is added to get federal approval for that project.
These costs turn up in habitat protection plans and other mitigation measures that projects are subjected to by the federal government and environmental groups who sue to block these projects.
Want to build a solar energy project? You will probably have to fork over money to protect the desert tortoise.
Want to build a natural gas pipeline? You will have to fork over money to protect mice. El Paso Natural Gas got hit for $22 million to get approval to build a gas pipeline through Nevada.
Want to drill for oil or natural gas in West Texas? You will add millions to your cost to protect sage lizards.
I’ll bet that we have at least a 10 percent cost added to virtually every project in the country that disturbs land in some way because we have prioritized protecting darned never everything that grows or walks or crawls in this country.
Somwhere along the way people need to have a say as to how much money we’re going to divert from our economy to protect what.
If there is no genetic difference between the wolves that live in Montana or Michigan or eastern Arizona…why are we spending money to have wolves in eastern Arizona?
If there are lots of jaguars in Mexico and all the way to Brazil….why are we going to spend millions to have jaguars in southern Arizona?
If there are 27 sub-species of squirrels….why are we spending money to protect one sub-species on one mountain top in Arizona?
There are a lot of good questions that need to be asked about how the Endangered Species Act really works and how much money it is costing to protect plants and critters that may not even really be endangered at all.
The Endangered Species Act really is not about protecting plants and animals any more.
It has been twisted into a tool to block virtually any project that disturbs the land.
Radical environmental groups that really want to destroy the American economy have turned the ESA into their weapon of choice to strangle America.
And taxpayers are paying for killing the country.
We have been bamboozled into a costly guilt trip via the Endangered Species Act and our priorities are seriously skewed when on one hand we really want to secure our border and we have people fighting finishing the border fence because that will interfere with jaguar migration.
Let’s find out how much we are spending via federal inter-agency agreements and cost additions to projects in the country and see if we are really getting our money’s worth.
And of course radical environmentalists will argue money is no object in protecting endangered species.
That is your money and the more of it siphoned away to protect sage lizards in West Texas, the less you will have for Social Security and Medicare.

Interesting wolf news in the New Mexico area

July 30, 2011
By admin

February

On February 7, WS personnel investigated a dead calf and severely injured cow just outside of the BRWRA near Canovas Creek in New Mexico, close to the Arizona border. The owner euthanized the cow shortly after both animals were discovered. The incident was confirmed as a wolf depredation, and the wolf responsible for the incident was F1105.

On February 8, WS personnel investigated five steers that had been attacked on private land outside of the BRWRA, north of Quemado, New Mexico. One of the steers died as a result of the attack, while the other four sustained severe injuries. WS personnel confirmed this incident as a wolf depredation, and the wolf or wolves responsible were determined to be uncollared animals. The IFT initiated trapping efforts in the area; however, no wolves were captured.

( interestingly enough, FWS never seem to be able to capture or confirm much less investigate uncollared wolves.  Especially based on a ranchers sighting.  This has been an ongoing problem for about 3 years.)

April

F1105 (collared) In April, the IFT documented this wolf traveling alone through the northern portions of the GNF. Last month, the IFT documented this wolf repeatedly traveling near and onto a private elk farm in the northern portions of the GNF, potentially interacting with domestic dogs in the vicinity. The IFT initiated trapping efforts to capture this wolf and perform an inspection regarding its breeding status. F1105 localized in the last part of April in the northern portion of the GNF and efforts to capture the wolf are still ongoing.

May

F1105 (collared) In April, the IFT documented this wolf traveling alone through the northern portions of the GNF. Last month, the IFT documented this wolf repeatedly traveling near and onto a private elk farm in the northern portions of the GNF, potentially interacting with domestic dogs in the vicinity. The IFT initiated trapping efforts to capture this wolf and perform an inspection regarding its breeding status. F1105 localized in the last part of April in the northern portion of the GNF and efforts to capture the wolf are still ongoing.

June/July

On May 6, the IFT responded to a report of an injured or sick wolf observed outside of Reserve, New Mexico. They captured an uncollared wolf, and a FWS veterinarian examined it in the field. The wolf died during transport to a veterinary facility in Arizona. An investigation into the cause of death is pending. INCIDENTS

Morgart’s Pack (collared M1155) Throughout June, the IFT documented this wolf traveling through the central portions of the GNF. The IFT obtained information this month that confirms that M1155 is now traveling with another wolf.

F1105 (collared) In June, the IFT documented this wolf traveling alone through the northern portions of the GNF. Earlier this spring, the IFT implemented capture operations to assist in determining the breeding status of this wolf. During trapping efforts in May, the IFT located a den with five pups. IFT personnel inspected the pups at the den site and collected blood samples for analysis to determine their genetic makeup. Tests indicated the pups were the result of the female breeding with a domestic dog. IFT personnel returned to the den, removed the four pups present, and humanely euthanized them. The IFT has confirmed that this wolf is traveling with a pup-sized canid in June, and efforts to capture this wolf have continued this month.

PROJECT PERSONNEL

The IFT is disappointed to announce that Ellen Heilhecker and Mischa Larisch from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish will no longer be working on the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project. Ellen has been with the Project since 2007, and has worked diligently during that time to further Mexican wolf recovery goals in New Mexico. Mischa has been with the Project for just over a year, and has provided a solid field presence working proactively with livestock producers to reduce conflicts on the ground. Many thanks to both of you for your efforts. You will be missed!

Mexican wolf removed from Nutrioso Arizona after failed pairing attempt.

February 5, 2011
By admin

Male wolf M1049, released two weeks ago in an attempt to pair him with a lone female in AZ was removed soon after his release, residents of Nutrioso AZ complained to the FWS that the wolf was in and out of town and frequenting the community rather than honeymooning with his new girlfriend. He was removed from the area February 5.

The other release and forced pairing also failed. FWS have not said where the AF1105 former Aspen pack wolf has gone after being released near the the Morgart male she was expected to pair up with but prior to his recapture and online dating experience with F1105, the Morgart male was making forays with the larger Middle Fork pack likely in an attempt to mate naturally. See Mexican Wolf Blue Range Reintroduction Project Telemetry Flight Locations for the Week of January 24, 2011 for those of you who don’t believe it.
Middle Fork Pack (AM871, AF861)
1-24-11 Located 3.5 miles west of Cooney Point and 5 miles southeast of T Bar Ridge.
Middle Fork Pack (fp1211)
1-24-11 Located 2.5 miles north of Yellow Mountain and 5 miles west of Black Mountain.
Morgart’s Pack (M1155)
1-24-11 Located 3.5 miles west of Cooney Point and 5 miles southeast of T Bar Ridge.
So much for a great beginning to a watershed year for Mexican wolves.

‘Watershed year’ expected for Mexican gray wolves

January 10, 2011
By admin

By Susan Montoya Bryan

Associated Press

Published: Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011 10:50 a.m. MST
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Another year has passed and the effort to return the endangered Mexican gray wolf to the Southwest is no closer to marking success than when federal wildlife officials first set out with their lofty goals decades ago.

But this year is going to be different. It’s going to be what U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest director Benjamin Tuggle calls “a watershed year,” and at the top of his list is bringing together scientists, conservationists, ranchers and others to develop a much-needed roadmap for the wolf’s recovery.

“We have battled this demon a very long time and finally we’ve gotten the go-ahead in a number of ways. It is my firm belief that we’re going to make some significant progress,” Tuggle told The Associated Press in an interview.

The effort to return the wolves to the wild in New Mexico and Arizona has been hampered by illegal shootings, court battles, complaints from ranchers who have lost livestock and pets to the wolves, and concerns by environmentalists over the way the reintroduction program has been managed.

In 2010, there were six wolf deaths. All but one involved suspicious circumstances.

Two lawsuits were filed — one by conservationists and the other by ranching groups and two southern New Mexico counties.

A few New Mexico lawmakers pushed unsuccessfully to get state game officials to help reduce conflicts between wolves and livestock, and a dozen congressional lawmakers requested that federal officials make changes in the program and consider releasing more wolves into the wild.

The goal this year, Tuggle said, will be finding balance between science and the impact of management actions on people in the region. That balance has eluded the program since the federal government began releasing Mexican wolves along the Arizona-New Mexico border in 1998.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Tuggle said. “You’ve got these divergent groups that are very opinionated.”

The Mexican gray wolf, a subspecies of the gray wolf, once roamed New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Mexico. As more people began to settle in the Southwest, conflict arose between the wolves, people and livestock. Hunting and government-sponsored extermination campaigns all but wiped out the wolf.

The wolf was added to the federal endangered species list in 1976 and a captive-breeding program was started. A recovery plan was adopted in 1982 and the first 11 wolves were released in March 1998.

Biologists had hoped to have more than 100 wolves in the wild by 2006. At the beginning of 2010, the count was 42.

With the annual wolf survey starting in less than two weeks, wildlife managers hope they can spot more wolves on the snowy landscape. There’s hope since pups were spotted with a few packs during the fall.

The survey involves a spotter plane, a helicopter, radio telemetry equipment and ground support.

“The thing that helps us get a really accurate number is the fact that we have a lot of collared wolves compared to the total number of wolves on the ground. Being that wolves are pack animals, it’s pretty easy to find them,” said Wally Murphy, a Fish and Wildlife Service supervisor in New Mexico.

Neither Murphy nor Tuggle wanted to venture a guess at how many wolves might be out there.

“We expect it will improve,” Murphy said. “How much it will improve is yet to be seen.”

Aside from the count, the focus this year is on releasing more captive wolves, finding more money for an interdiction fund to help ranchers with livestock depredations and developing a new recovery plan.

A team of scientists, state and federal wildlife managers, tribal officials and other stakeholders is being assembled to hash out details of the plan. The first meeting is expected in February, and Tuggle hopes to have a plan ready for public review in a year.

Eva Lee Sargent of the group Defenders of Wildlife said she believes more people would be willing to get on board if the recovery goals — and the means to getting there — were clearly spelled out.

“What the program really needs is to be based on science and not based on the squeaky wheel and politics,” she said.

Caren Cowan, executive director of the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association, said her group appreciates what Tuggle is trying to do but finding middle ground will be difficult if environmentalists continue to push for establishing wolf populations in more areas and bringing an end to grazing permits on national forest land.

Cowan said the balance between having wolves in the wild and ranchers continuing with their livelihood will not come down to a number, but rather to how the wolves are managed.

“We live with other predators. There are coyotes out there, there are bears, there are lions, but we’re able to manage them and we certainly have not extirpated all of those predators. But when you find an offending one, you have to have the ability to deal with it,” she said. “That’s the frustration with the wolf situation.”

Cowan and Sargent said fixing the problems will take more than a year, but everyone is willing to try.

Tuggle acknowledges that mistakes have been made, but he said officials are learning from them.

Tuggle remembers the first time he saw a Mexican gray wolf. It was in a captive facility. He said could imagine that animal roaming the Gila National Forest or somewhere else.

“I’ve heard wolves in the wild, I’ve seen them in the wild, and I have a full appreciation of that species and the charismatic nature of that species and that’s what really motivates me in terms of the Mexican gray wolf. I see the potential of what this species can be on the landscape.”

© 2011 Deseret News Publishing Company | All rights reserved

Albuquerque Journal: Wolf Release in Ariz. Postponed Until 2011

October 9, 2010
By admin

Saturday, October 09, 2010

By Rene Romo
Journal Southern Bureau
LAS CRUCES — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will postpone until sometime next year the planned release of a pack of eight Mexican gray wolves in eastern Arizona.
One conservation organization lamented the delay as a setback to increasing the number and genetic diversity of wild-roaming lobos.
Before some of the endangered predators were released in the forests of eastern Arizona in 1998, federal officials expected the wild wolf population to grow to 100 by the end of 2006. But the wolf count at the end of 2009 was 42, down from 52 in 2008, and federal officials have expressed concern that a lack of genetic diversity in the wild wolves might have affected the size of litters.
Terry Johnson, endangered species coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, said the primary reason for the delay was the discovery in mid-September of several uncollared, and previously uncounted, wolves in the targeted release area of Engineer Springs.
Releasing captive wolves in territory already inhabited by a wolf pack would likely spell trouble for the new wolves trying to get accustomed to their new surroundings, Johnson said.
“The best news is there appears to be more wolves than we thought on the landscape,” Johnson said. He added, “You don’t put naive wolves out on the landscape on top of wolves that are already there.”
Michael Robinson, a Pinos Altos-based conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, said not releasing a new pack in an area already inhabited by wolves is a valid decision, but he said the release has been delayed for months in the face of concerns raised by ranchers to Arizona officials.
“There are other areas where these wolves could be released, and they are badly needed,” Robinson said. He noted that over the last four years federal officials have only released one Mexican wolf into the wild that had not previously been captured and removed.

Read more: ABQJOURNAL NEWS/STATE: Wolf Release in Ariz. Postponed Until 2011 http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/090590state10-09-10.htm#ixzz13VDBO95S
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