Feds halt Mexican gray wolf kills in Arizona, New Mexico in bid for genetic diversity
From Courthouse News Service:
(CN) — To foster the Mexican gray wolves’ long term success in the Southwest, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife announced it will lift a 325-animal cap on the population according to a draft of the proposed rule published Friday.
Lobbying by livestock producers drove the federal government to exterminate the Mexican gray wolf during the early half of the 20th century. Following the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973, the last wild Mexican gray wolves were captured and raised in captivity until the U.S. government decided to reintroduce the animals in 1998.
