A female Mexican wolf watches as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service technicians drop off food for her and her mate in their pen at the Sevilleta Mexican Wolf Management Facility outside Socorro last year.
A female Mexican wolf watches as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service technicians drop off food for her and her mate in their pen at the Sevilleta Mexican Wolf Management Facility outside Socorro last year.
In the quiet canyons of New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness, the howl of the Mexican gray wolf has returned. But while conservationists cheer the comeback of this iconic predator, ranchers and landowners across New Mexico are sounding alarms. The reintroduction of wolves may be a saving grace for the species, but for some stakeholders, it feels like a loss.
In 1976, the Mexican gray wolf was declared an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Once driven to the brink of extinction because of government-supported eradication efforts throughout the 20th century, the species is making a slow and steady return to the wild.
But the species’ comeback has raised the question: Is the modern Southwest still suitable for wide-ranging predators like the Mexican gray wolf?
Since the late 1990s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has continued to reintroduce Mexican wolves into the growing wild population, primarily through captive breeding programs, according to the agency’s website.
Many of those involved in reintroduction efforts, including the federal agency, argue the Mexican wolf is vital to reestablishing balance within ecosystems.
“As predators, they influence the distribution, behavior and health of prey species, including elk and deer, which can lead to healthier ecosystems,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson Aislinn Maestas said in a recent interview.
However, local ranchers are concerned about livestock predation. Despite aggressive efforts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reduce wolf-livestock conflict — including range riders who assist livestock producers in monitoring wolf activity, carcass removals, radio-activated guard boxes and even flashing fox lights — ranchers say cattle losses are big problem.
While there are some programs that help reimburse ranchers for losses, The Associated Press reported this month, ranchers say wolves are threatening their livelihood. Federal officials confirmed 100 livestock kills in New Mexico and Arizona in 2024. But according to The Associated Press, ranchers believe that number is a lot larger — arguing investigators tracking the kills don’t have enough evidence to add them to the list or the animals were never found.
To address concerns, federal officials have deployed a list of obstacles for the wolves, everything from rubber bullets and pyrotechnics to diversionary food caches and turbo fladry — electrified fences with colored flags meant to scare wolves away.
Tribal communities, as well, have voiced thoughts about the impacts of wolves on their livestock and traditional practices. According to a publication by the Mexican Wolf Tribal Working Group, published in 2017, many tribal communities that have given input on the topic of Mexican wolves have historically held wolves in high regard, viewing them as integral to the balance of nature and often as spiritual symbols. The reintroduction of wolves on ancestral lands is seen by many as a restoration of ecological and cultural integrity. However, some have raised concerns about the wolves’ return.
The concerns are inevitable. No amount of deterrents can erase the underlying issue: Wolves and livestock simply don’t mix. The wolves being reintroduced into the wild are trying to survive and thrive in a human-dominated landscape.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Mexican gray wolf was once widespread across Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico. However, as ranching and farming expanded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, wolves were increasingly seen as a threat to livestock. Government-sponsored extermination campaigns, including poison, trapping and shooting, were launched to eliminate them. By the 1970s, the species was nearly extinct in the wild, driven out by aggressive human intervention aimed at protecting agricultural interests.
As of late 2024 and early 2025, there are at least 286 Mexican gray wolves roaming the Southwest, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. While the exact number is unknown, thousands of Mexican gray wolves roamed the Southwest before eradication efforts.
To truly thrive, wolves need space and lots of it. A single wolf pack consisting of six members needs approximately 1,000 square miles, or 640,000 acres. This is about 20 times bigger than the city of Santa Fe.
The current recovery zone for Mexican wolves spans a vast 98.5 million acres across New Mexico and Arizona, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. But human development, roads and agricultural lands continue to chip away at the dedicated area. The wolves themselves have begun venturing beyond the official recovery zone, turning up in areas as far north as Jemez Springs and Taos, according to state and federal wildlife managers.
Researchers can easily keep track of the wolves’ movement through tracking collars. According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, nearly 40% of the population of Mexican wolves in Arizona and New Mexico have tracking collars.
“These collars provide detailed location information and management capability,” said Maestas.
The wolves without collars are tracked through visual observation, remote cameras, howling, scat and tracks.
Despite the concerns with wolves, public support for their reintroduction remains high, especially among conservationists and animal rights advocates, according to a 2020 report from researchers at Colorado State University. The same study showed support from gun rights advocates, hunters and ranchers often exceeds 80%. However, that support tends to drop when wolves cross onto private land.
Maybe one U.S. Forest Service manager in Boise, Idaho, who was interviewed for a 2021 research article on wolf-livestock interactions, said it best: “We want people to have a successful livelihood, and we also want to have wolves present on the landscape … trying to balance the two can be tricky.”
Abby Frey is a senior at Santa Fe High School. Contact her at abbyafrey@gmail.com.
