Mexican Gray Wolf
Reintroduction of the Mexican Gray Wolf
The Mexican Gray Wolf once flourished and roamed the lands from México to Canada, but in the 20th there populations were severely dwindled and they now find themselves on the endangered list. The United States government approved a systematical eradication of the Mexican Gray wolf from the lower 48 states (Mexican 1999). During the 1800’s, westward expansion was rapidly moving across the US leading to the elimination of the larger mammals the wolves preyed upon. After some time, the depletion of the wolves hunting stocks forced the wolves to hunt livestock. Due to the wolves turning to livestock, they were hunted, poisoned, trapped, and shot down by bounty hunters. By the 1970’s, the Mexican Gray Wolf was placed under the protection of the Endangered Species Act. Sadly, by the time the Mexican Gray Wolf was placed under this Act, there were only a few hundred remaining in Minnesota (Gray Wolf 2007). Ever since the Endangered Species Act, efforts have been made to reintroduce the Mexican Gray Wolf back into its natural habitat (Mexican Gray Wolf 1999). In 1982, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service partnered with Mexico to establish measures and preserve the wild populations of the Mexican Gray Wolf in Mexico and areas of southwestern United States (Shoenecker 1997) The Mexican Gray Wolf reintroduction program has its pro’s and con’s, but is a serious debate that needs a final decision made immediately.
Reintroduction of the Mexican Gray Wolf into the Northern American area can significantly help the environment in several ways. The hope is that the reintroduction of the Mexican Gray Wolf will return the mixture of animals that live in that certain area back to its natural state (Robbins, pg 77-78). The few wolves that have been reintroduced have had an astonishing impact on the area they were released in. Researchers have come up with the wolf-effect theory that implies the wolves keep the elk populations
The Mexican Gray Wolf once flourished and roamed the lands from México to Canada, but in the 20th there populations were severely dwindled and they now find themselves on the endangered list. The United States government approved a systematical eradication of the Mexican Gray wolf from the lower 48 states (Mexican 1999). During the 1800’s, westward expansion was rapidly moving across the US leading to the elimination of the larger mammals the wolves preyed upon. After some time, the depletion of the wolves hunting stocks forced the wolves to hunt livestock. Due to the wolves turning to livestock, they were hunted, poisoned, trapped, and shot down by bounty hunters. By the 1970’s, the Mexican Gray Wolf was placed under the protection of the Endangered Species Act. Sadly, by the time the Mexican Gray Wolf was placed under this Act, there were only a few hundred remaining in Minnesota (Gray Wolf 2007). Ever since the Endangered Species Act, efforts have been made to reintroduce the Mexican Gray Wolf back into its natural habitat (Mexican Gray Wolf 1999). In 1982, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service partnered with Mexico to establish measures and preserve the wild populations of the Mexican Gray Wolf in Mexico and areas of southwestern United States (Shoenecker 1997) The Mexican Gray Wolf reintroduction program has its pro’s and con’s, but is a serious debate that needs a final decision made immediately.
Reintroduction of the Mexican Gray Wolf into the Northern American area can significantly help the environment in several ways. The hope is that the reintroduction of the Mexican Gray Wolf will return the mixture of animals that live in that certain area back to its natural state (Robbins, pg 77-78). The few wolves that have been reintroduced have had an astonishing impact on the area they were released in. Researchers have come up with the wolf-effect theory that implies the wolves keep the elk populations
References: 2. Mexican Gray Wolf. KAET-TV, 1999. Web. 22 Nov 2009. 5. Parsons, David. “Green Fire” returns to the Southwest: reintroduction of the Mexican wolf. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 1998. Web. 1Dec 2009. 6. Restoration or Destruction: The Controversy over Wolf Reintroduction. Journal of Young Investigators, 2008.< http://www.jyi.org/features/ft.php?id=441 > 23 Nov 2009. 7. Robbins, Jim. 2004. Lessons from the WOLF. Scientific American 290(6): 76-81, June 2004. 22 Nov 2009. 10. The Debate. KAET-TV, 1999. Web. 23 Nov 2009. 11. The Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program