Citing the disappearance of pets, increasing attacks on livestock and a general threat to public safety, county commissioners in western New Mexico unanimously passed a resolution declaring a state of emergency over Mexican wolves.
According to state wildlife agencies in New Mexico and Arizona, there were at least 286 wolves in 60 packs scattered across those two states in 2024 – the ninth consecutive year of population growth. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service instituted a Mexican wolf recovery program in 1998 by releasing captive-reared wolves and since followed up by raising pups in captivity and then placed them in wild dens in the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area south of Interstate-40.
Catron County falls within that area. Locals say an increased wolf presence greatly impacts their livelihoods and forces them to change their lives.
“Parents don’t even let their kids go out to play anymore without supervision. You can’t even let your dogs out of the house to just roam free,” Catron County Commissioner Audrey McQueen told KQRE-TV.
“Fifty-four. That’s the number of confirmed kills and injuries at our ranch alone have had in the past five years. Sixty-three is the number of cows we have not found,” said one rancher at a recent public meeting.
“I fully recognize there are more wolves on the ground out there right now. There are more incidences with humans and people across the board because there are more of them out there,” said Brady McGee, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mexican wolf recovery coordinator, as reported by KQRE-TV.
The resolution calls for help from the State of New Mexico and U.S. Government.
Northern California faces similar issues where the Sierra County Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency due to increasing public safety concerns linked to the growing gray wolf population. The following day, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the state entered the next phase of its wolf conservation plan to evaluate the status of wolves including possible hazing and other actions. There are approximately 65 wolves in seven packs in northern California.
As a side note, the Arizona Game and Fish Department recently chastised some wolf advocacy groups and individuals for trying to intentionally mislead the public about Mexican wolf recovery efforts.
(Photo credit: Arizona Game and Fish Department)