The Mexican gray wolf, Canis lupus baileyi, is the most endangered subspecies of gray wolf IN THE WORLD, and the most endangered mammal in the US. There are currently several bills being discussed in the Arizona State legislature which will negatively affect the Mexican wolf, or lobo, if they are passed (SB1211, SB1212, HB2699). Currently, there are 83 Mexican wolves in the recovery program, only 37 of which are in Arizona.
A friend of mine and I, who are both passionate about the fate of wolves, have co-drafted this letter, and will be sending it out into the Universe as far and wide as possible. Please help us spread the word, and the facts, about the lobo (if you share the letter, PLEASE keep our names on it, as we worked VERY hard to write it well).
Thank you,
Delphia
#SaveTheLobo
"We are writing this letter in an effort to waylay the spread
of misinformation which, at its root, is the willful and direct attempt to
destroy a species that is vital to the ecological balance and economic success
of the state of Arizona and the rest of the United States. This amazing
national resource is the focus of a horrifying bias that is killing living
beings based on unjustified misinformation and fear-mongering, which represents
the most reprehensible sort of political manipulation imaginable.
The two of us—a wildlife rehabilitator and a former student
of ecology and genetics, both with lifelong study and understanding of ecology
and interspecies dynamics—understand the role wildlife plays in nature; we
understand the predator-prey relationship, and we are directly aware of the
impact on the ecosystem that results from the loss of a species. We also
understand that Man has a huge effect on the ecology of the planet due to our
causing the near- or full extinction of entire species, such as the recent,
lamented loss of the Western Black Rhinoceros. What we don’t
understand is how our fellow humans can be so callous regarding the restoration
of a severely endangered species—one which is approaching an extinction for
which we, as a culture, would ultimately be directly responsible.
Our frustration is based on several facts. Firstly, and
perhaps most of interest to the politicians involved, is that the majority of
Arizona—and U.S.—constituents, when polled, overwhelmingly state that the
recovery of the gray wolf within the United States is a desired outcome. In
other words, the vast majority of Arizona voters prefer to see the wolf
reestablished in its natural range (http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2013/09/04/survey-reports-az-nm-residents-strongly-support-mexican-wolf-recovery/).
This desire is centered on the fact that, secondly, the wolf is a severely
endangered species—with the Mexican gray wolf in particular being the most
endangered mammal in North America, and the most endangered subspecies of wolf
in the world (http://www.mexicanwolves.org/index.php/history)—a
direct result of the fear and misinformation that is epidemic among communities
that are in opposition to wolf recovery. Finally, this bias is being promoted
by political lobbying that spends large amounts of money to perpetuate the
widespread misinformation about these animals, which in turn becomes a direct
obstacle to the introduction of proven scientific truths and real, effective
tools that assist our ranchers and hunters in the ability to live alongside
wolves while preserving them as the true national resource and vital ecological
balance that they are.
The Mexican gray wolf, also known as the lobo, is the most
endangered mammal in North America and the most endangered subspecies of gray
wolf in the world (http://www.mexicanwolves.org/index.php/history);
this is a direct result of humans killing them via hunting, trapping, and
poisoning, primarily for the livestock industry. The last three wild Mexican
wolves in the U.S., prior to the current restoration population, were killed in
1970 (http://www.mexicanwolves.org/index.php/history).
Their historic range includes southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico,
western Texas, and northern Mexico; today, there are approximately 300 lobos in
captivity in more than 40 facilities, and merely 83 in the wild in Arizona and
New Mexico.
The definition of an endangered species is one for which
there is a non-viable wild population --non-viable meaning that the continued
existence of the species is in doubt due to the limited numbers of that species
that exist in the wild.
Amazingly, the 83 wild lobos are, according to US Fish and
Wildlife Service and the politicians in Arizona, among others, currently deemed
a “nonessential” experimental population. This
is a political designation and is inappropriate as their current numbers are
not high enough, according to extensive scientific research, to ensure the
viability of the species. By all evidence, this "nonessential"
designation is due to said politicians fearing their constituents’ displeasure over having to share their lands—both private and
public—with wolves. This "nonessential"
designation, referring to the 10(j) rule of the Endangered Species Act (“Act”), allows some “wiggle room”
about the policies and procedures of the Act, which, in this deliberate
misapplication, directly harms the recovery of this at-risk species by allowing
wolves to be killed or removed in certain situations without legal reprisal. By
not classifying these individuals as “essential”, the message being
sent is that we don’t need
wild wolves outside of zoos in order to preserve the species. This could
not be further from the truth.
In 2013, regarding the status of the wolves in 2012, Phil
Hedrick, a geneticist and former Mexican gray wolf recovery team expert said, “By the late 1970s, the
Mexican gray wolf was nearly eradicated and because today’s
75 wild individuals are all descended from the only seven wolves saved at that
time, their genetic health has been severely compromised. The [U.S. Fish and
Wildlife] Service knows this, and we have made it clear that if a recovery plan
is not completed and implemented immediately, one which allows for dispersal,
these animals cannot recover.”
The wolf is an apex predator, which means it is at the top
of the food chain. Their normal diet is elk, deer, javelina, beaver, and small
mammals. Yes, on occasion, they do kill livestock, to deny this would be
irresponsible. However, only 0.1% of cattle deaths are attributed to
wolf depredation; that is 225 TIMES LESS than the #1 cause of cattle death,
respiratory illness (USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service from the
2010 Cattle and Calf Death Loss Report, based on producer-reported data). On
the list of the various reasons for cattle loss, wolf depredation is the lowest
of all factors, including each of the other area predators, and even
"unknown" predators (see chart attached at the end of this letter).
Living with wolves is possible, and a number of ranchers who
live in wolf territory, including those in gray wolf territory outside of
Arizona, prove this. There are programs in place to help ranchers who live
and/or pasture their animals in wolf territories. The Mexican Wolf /Livestock
Interdiction Trust Fund provides “long-term
funding for prolonged financial support to livestock operators within the
framework of cooperative conservation and recovery of Mexican wolf populations
in the Southwest” (Mexican Wolf/Livestock
Coexistence Council Depredation Compensation Guidelines,
http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/MWLIF.cfm). The Defenders of
Wildlife Wolf Compensation Trust provides for range riders, electric fencing,
training in non-lethal methods of wolf deterrents (such as guard dogs), and
other proactive projects to further peaceful rancher-wolf coexistence.
And to the first and most important point, more than 75% of
Arizona voters polled said they welcome the Mexican wolf, and want to see it
restored to its historic range (http://www.mexicanwolves.org/index.php/news/1201/51/Oppose-Anti-Wolf-Bills-in-AZ-Legislature).
The recovery program is part of the Endangered Species Act, and is very
necessary to save this vital species. When the program started, a goal of at
least 100 individuals in the wild by 2006 was set; due to a variety of factors,
that goal has yet to be achieved. The Mexican wolf is by no means “recovered” with only 83 animals in the
wild, only 37 of which are in Arizona; they do not inhabit a significant
portion of their historic and native habitat, as is required by the Act. Reclassifying
the lobo as “essential” will protect them with the full
weight of the Act, and allow them to once again roam the forests as they were
meant to, and as the people of Arizona and the U.S. want them to do.
Restoring the lobo to their full range will have a positive
effect on the ecosystem. Wolves kill the ill and injured of the herds most
desired by hunters, rather than the strongest; the genetic health of their prey
species will improve, which is to the benefit of hunting constituents. This has
been demonstrated through the research in the gray wolf reintroductions in
Yellowstone National Park, not to mention the fact that the presence of wolves
helps increase biological diversity (http://www.bitsofscience.org/wolf-yellowstone-predators-forests-4492/).
Having their natural predator to contend with once again will promote greater
movement and migration of ungulate (elk, deer) herds, as they were meant to do.
Naturally reducing the population of herbivorous prey species will allow plant
life to return after decades of overbrowsing. This plant life will encourage
other species to return, such as the beaver, which also has a profound effect
on building a healthy ecosystem.
Economically, restoring the Mexican gray wolf can only benefit
Arizona and its tourism businesses; according to a University of Montana study,
the tourist draw of the gray wolf has translated into more than $35 million
dollars in Yellowstone Park regional revenue. It does nothing but benefit
the natural world and those who depend on and enjoy recreation in it to have
the Mexican wolf restored to a strong, healthy population; this cannot be
achieved under the current method of management.
We implore the public to speak up in defense of the Mexican
gray wolf, to save this critically endangered and important species. We ask
that those in positions to create or influence legislation make a stand for
the lobo, to acknowledge the science and to listen to the People. Save the
Mexican wolf for the health of the ecosystem, the economy of the State, and the
treasure of future generations.
Thank you.
Erin Bell and Delphia Strickland
"
