Wolf recovery at crossroads in the Southwest

Associated Press ^ | Dec 6, 2009 | SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN

[decimon]

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A decade has passed since the federal government began releasing Mexican wolves into the wild in an effort to return the endangered animal to its historic range in the Southwest. It hasn't worked out — for the wolves, for ranchers, for conservationists or for federal biologists.

[FlingWingFlyer]

The “Mexican wolves” should be in Mexico. We don’t need them here in Arizona. And they can take the “Mexican Spotted Owls” with them.

[bert]

Meanwhile here at home.....

One of escaped wolves almost caught with tranquilizer dart
By Matthew Lane

Published December 5th, 2009 | 3 Comments

KINGSPORT — Bays Mountain Park officials spent a third day searching for three gray wolves on Saturday, with an official saying they came close to capturing one of the wolves by using a tranquilizer gun.

Six of the park’s eight gray timber wolves escaped their enclosure Wednesday night after a storm knocked down a tree, breaching both fences of their habitat. Park officials discovered the breach Thursday morning upon arriving at work and have spent the last three days searching for the wolves. Two of the wolves remained in the enclosure, and three were lured back in by noon on Thursday.

The other three wolves have managed to elude the roughly 20 park officials and volunteers who have spent the past three days searching the park grounds, walking and driving along the trails. The searchers have used wolf howls and food in an attempt to lure the wolves back into their enclosure and said on Friday they were ready to use tranquilizers as a last resort.

Rob Cole, volunteer coordinator for the park, said a park official got a clean shot at one of the wolves on Saturday.

“But the tranquilizer must have hit a bone because we found the needle and it was bent,” Cole said.

As with the previous two days, searchers began looking for the wolves around daybreak and quit around 6 p.m. on Saturday. Bays Mountain Park has remained closed since the breach was discovered and will remain closed on Sunday.

“We’ll do it again tomorrow, get up and do it all again until we find them,” Cole said.

The wolves have been responding to the wolf howls, and on Friday two of the wolves were spotted by the searchers, thus leading park officials to believe the wolves were staying in Bays Mountain Park.

On Saturday, Cole said the wolves did not respond to the howls as much as the previous two days, but searchers were able to better track the animals due to the snowfall that occurred throughout the day.

Cole said if you see the wolves, do not attempt to capture or approach them, but call Bays Mountain Park at 229-9447 and give them the location of the animal.

The last time the wolves at Bays Mountain Park escaped their enclosure was back in the early 1990s, when a similar incident took place and a tree fell, breaching the fence and allowing the animals to get free.

[muleskinner]

Just have the environmental group reimburse the ranchers for their cattle. Put their money where their mount is.

[NVDave]

Defenders of Wildlife has already “promised” to do that for ranchers in the northern Rockies (MT, WY, ID). They set up a set of criteria so stringent that most wolf kills that are not caught and documented within a day won’t be reimbursed.

[RebelTXRose]

Maybe I’m just crazy. When I hear about “saving” endangered species, I wonder who’s been talking to God about HIS plan for our earth.
The dinosaurs were endangered before they were gone and not part of our life. I believe that GOD created this earth and all living creatures on it. God also created MAN to have dominion over the creatures. God will decide when our days are numbered - a few creatures just might be on the list before us. The same goes for the global warming crowd - God is in control - NOT MAN!
I pity those who don’t believe and wish they would just leave the rest of us alone!