Newly-drafted Mexican wolf recovery plan, met with criticism, under review
From Grand Canyon News:
GRAND CANYON, Ariz. — A long-awaited update to the Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan has been released, drawing criticism from activist groups that say the draft strips essential protections from the animal and prompting further review from Arizona Game and Fish (AZGFD).
The Mexican wolf was listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1976. Initially drafted in 1982, a recovery plan created by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) called for a benchmark population of 100 animals living in the wild after hunting and poaching culled the number of wild Mexican wolves to just seven. That number, however, was deemed too low to adequately measure the long-term success of the wolves’ survival.
