The Mexican wolf is the southernmost subspecies of gray wolf in North America, its natural habitat was that of the southwest United States and Mexico, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona as their home range in the US. (Rinkevich, Murphy, & Barrett, 2011). The gray wolves were a menace to rancher’s cattle and farmer’s livestock. Depredation of livestock led ranchers and state governments to declare war on the Mexican gray wolves through public and private bounties. The Mexican gray wolves were successfully removed from the wild. (Foreman, 2004) The Endangered Species Act of 1973 was vital for the protection of the Mexican gray wolf. In 1990, the United States Fish & Wildlife Service coordinated and developed a Mexican wolf reintroduction recovery
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Many ranchers are frustrated with ranching in a wolf reintroduction area. Ranchers and farmers still have livestock in the wolf recovery region. “Wolf depredations on livestock have occurred every year since 1999 — one year after the re-introduction of Mexican wolves into the wild.”(Balcomb, 2017, para. 22) Many farmers don’t apply for help from the USDA for depredations on livestock due to all the bureaucratic red-tape and the depredation fund has no money to repay ranchers. People who live far enough away from the reintroduction area are happy for the wolf reintroduction. However, those who live or make a living in these areas find it very difficult coexisting with the wolves. The supply of wildlife that wolves depend on is not sufficient in the Blue Range and will result in more depredation of livestock. And with no real plan to restrain the population of wolves when it gets out of control, ranchers may rely on the old system of 3s’s (shoot, shovel, and shut up) in order to protect their herds. Hunters fear that certain areas may be off limit to hunting due to the reintroduction and the loss of game animals like deer and elk that the wolves prey on as the wolves will quickly decimate the elk and deer populations. Sportsman are the ones who have provided most of the funds available for wildlife conservation and their voice grossly overlooked when it comes to the Mexican
Many ranchers are frustrated with ranching in a wolf reintroduction area. Ranchers and farmers still have livestock in the wolf recovery region. “Wolf depredations on livestock have occurred every year since 1999 — one year after the re-introduction of Mexican wolves into the wild.”(Balcomb, 2017, para. 22) Many farmers don’t apply for help from the USDA for depredations on livestock due to all the bureaucratic red-tape and the depredation fund has no money to repay ranchers. People who live far enough away from the reintroduction area are happy for the wolf reintroduction. However, those who live or make a living in these areas find it very difficult coexisting with the wolves. The supply of wildlife that wolves depend on is not sufficient in the Blue Range and will result in more depredation of livestock. And with no real plan to restrain the population of wolves when it gets out of control, ranchers may rely on the old system of 3s’s (shoot, shovel, and shut up) in order to protect their herds. Hunters fear that certain areas may be off limit to hunting due to the reintroduction and the loss of game animals like deer and elk that the wolves prey on as the wolves will quickly decimate the elk and deer populations. Sportsman are the ones who have provided most of the funds available for wildlife conservation and their voice grossly overlooked when it comes to the Mexican