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Experts: Wolf Recovery Program Failing
http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/465749nm06-04-06.htm
Sunday, June 4, 2006
Experts: Wolf Recovery Program Failing
By Tania Soussan
Copyright © 2006 Albuquerque Journal; Journal Staff Writer
The wild Mexican gray wolf population has been shrinking— rather than growing as it should— as wolves are removed from the wild for repeatedly killing livestock.
Almost an entire pack died in late May, and a separate lone wolf was shot by the wolf reintroduction program team last week, all for racking up too many depredations.
The conflict between livestock and wolves is nothing new. But expansion of wolf territories and ongoing drought are adding new stresses to the reintroduction program that aims to bring back wolves to southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona.
Critics, both environmentalists who favor wolf reintroduction and ranchers who don't want wolves near their cows, say the losses are a sign the program is failing.
"This thing started out as an experiment," said Caren Cowan, executive director of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association. "These incidents ... are an indication that the experiment is not working."
On that point, both sides in the debate seem to agree.
"The program does not seem to be working," said Southwest Environmental Center Executive Director Kevin Bixby. "It's clear to me it's because there's too many restrictions on wolves and too many opportunities for them to get in trouble with livestock."
But wolf recovery program manager John Morgart of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said he remains "cautiously optimistic that we're still on the right track and that we're doing OK."
He points to two planned releases this summer and to field team reports that a new pack has formed in the wild.
Population goals
In 1996, the Fish and Wildlife Service set population goals for the wolf program— 15 breeding pairs and 83 wolves in the wild by the end of last year, and 18 breeding pairs and 102 wolves in the wild by the end of this year.
Program managers put the count for the end of 2005 at five breeding pairs and 35-49 wolves in the wild. (The current count is 31-45 adults plus an unknown number of pups.)
Morgart calls it "an absolute minimum count." Ranchers agree and say there are likely twice as many wolves on the ground. Environmentalists say the numbers fall on the high end.
The wild population has also been declining since it hit a high point of 55 wolves at the end of 2003.
"This was a year where we did take a step back," Morgart said, "... because of management actions we had to take last year with the Francisco Pack, the Ring Pack."
The entire Francisco Pack was removed from the wild, and the Ring Pack alpha male was shot and his mate and pups captured for cattle killing.
In just the last several weeks, the 12-member Hon Dah Pack has been reduced to just one yearling and possibly one young pup in the wild.
The pack was targeted for removal because it was involved in at least three livestock killings. The alpha female, one yearling and six pups died in captivity; the alpha male was shot. One yearling remains in captivity.
Last week, a male from the Saddle Pack was killed, also for livestock depredations.
"It's a disaster," Bixby said. "We're starting to see the results of the politics of how the recovery program is managed."
Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity in Pinos Altos agreed and said mismanagement threatens the program.
"At this rate, we could easily see this wolf population wiped out again within two years," he said.
Cowan of the cattle growers said ranchers are also upset by the wolf deaths, especially the killing of the Hon Dah pups by an adult male wolf that program managers had hoped to use as a surrogate father.
"It's really, really deplorable that animals have to suffer because people can't get their act together," she said. "Whether you like wolves or not, nobody wants to see animals harmed."
Morgart says the news isn't all bad.
There are initial reports from the field that a new wild pack of uncollared wolves has formed and has pups.
Three wolves, an adult male and two female yearlings, will be released this month in the Gila Wilderness. The females are two of the Francisco Pack pups removed from the wild last year.
An adult pair is also set for release this month.
In addition, the captive breeding population is flourishing with more than 300 animals in 47 facilities, Morgart said.
"Those things all obviously offset some of the management losses that we've had," he said.
'Excessive handling'
Wolves killing livestock seems to be at the heart of the problems with the reintroduction program. But how to handle the issue is controversial.
A long-delayed five-year review of the program recommended several changes. Neither the environmental nor the ranching community thinks the changes will fix the problems.
Robinson and Bixby point to the program's three-strikes policy and "excessive handling" of wolves as reasons for the population decline.
The program's new "SOP 13" calls for permanent removal— dead or alive— of any wolf that has been involved in three depredations within one year.
Morgart said SOP 13 merely codified what the program had being doing all along. Environmental groups have also long said ranchers should be required to remove livestock carcasses or cover them with lime so wolves don't get a taste for beef and go on to kill cows.
They also say wolves should be allowed to stray outside the current program boundaries without being recaptured.
The Center for Biological Diversity formally petitioned for those changes in 2004.
Last week, the cattle growers, New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, New Mexico Federal Lands Council and three other groups made their own petition for changes.
They want the program to crack down more on depredating wolves, counting each animal killed as a strike rather than each incident. They also think depredation should include harm to an animal, not just killing, Cowan said.
They want the federal government to reimburse ranchers and counties for losses related to wolves.
And they want the program to inventory all wild wolves.
"Until that happens, they need to be accountable for every wolf that's out there," said Joel Alderete, regional director for the Farm and Livestock Bureau. "They have no idea what is out there."
Morgart said he is considering all the comments from the public and working to get recommendations on any program rule changes to his boss at the Fish and Wildlife Service "at lightning speed."
So why do they insist on putting them out here on us, and our neighbors? Just trash the whole program and let everyone get back to normal!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/465749nm06-04-06.htm
Sunday, June 4, 2006
Experts: Wolf Recovery Program Failing
By Tania Soussan
Copyright © 2006 Albuquerque Journal; Journal Staff Writer
The wild Mexican gray wolf population has been shrinking— rather than growing as it should— as wolves are removed from the wild for repeatedly killing livestock.
Almost an entire pack died in late May, and a separate lone wolf was shot by the wolf reintroduction program team last week, all for racking up too many depredations.
The conflict between livestock and wolves is nothing new. But expansion of wolf territories and ongoing drought are adding new stresses to the reintroduction program that aims to bring back wolves to southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona.
Critics, both environmentalists who favor wolf reintroduction and ranchers who don't want wolves near their cows, say the losses are a sign the program is failing.
"This thing started out as an experiment," said Caren Cowan, executive director of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association. "These incidents ... are an indication that the experiment is not working."
On that point, both sides in the debate seem to agree.
"The program does not seem to be working," said Southwest Environmental Center Executive Director Kevin Bixby. "It's clear to me it's because there's too many restrictions on wolves and too many opportunities for them to get in trouble with livestock."
But wolf recovery program manager John Morgart of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said he remains "cautiously optimistic that we're still on the right track and that we're doing OK."
He points to two planned releases this summer and to field team reports that a new pack has formed in the wild.
Population goals
In 1996, the Fish and Wildlife Service set population goals for the wolf program— 15 breeding pairs and 83 wolves in the wild by the end of last year, and 18 breeding pairs and 102 wolves in the wild by the end of this year.
Program managers put the count for the end of 2005 at five breeding pairs and 35-49 wolves in the wild. (The current count is 31-45 adults plus an unknown number of pups.)
Morgart calls it "an absolute minimum count." Ranchers agree and say there are likely twice as many wolves on the ground. Environmentalists say the numbers fall on the high end.
The wild population has also been declining since it hit a high point of 55 wolves at the end of 2003.
"This was a year where we did take a step back," Morgart said, "... because of management actions we had to take last year with the Francisco Pack, the Ring Pack."
The entire Francisco Pack was removed from the wild, and the Ring Pack alpha male was shot and his mate and pups captured for cattle killing.
In just the last several weeks, the 12-member Hon Dah Pack has been reduced to just one yearling and possibly one young pup in the wild.
The pack was targeted for removal because it was involved in at least three livestock killings. The alpha female, one yearling and six pups died in captivity; the alpha male was shot. One yearling remains in captivity.
Last week, a male from the Saddle Pack was killed, also for livestock depredations.
"It's a disaster," Bixby said. "We're starting to see the results of the politics of how the recovery program is managed."
Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity in Pinos Altos agreed and said mismanagement threatens the program.
"At this rate, we could easily see this wolf population wiped out again within two years," he said.
Cowan of the cattle growers said ranchers are also upset by the wolf deaths, especially the killing of the Hon Dah pups by an adult male wolf that program managers had hoped to use as a surrogate father.
"It's really, really deplorable that animals have to suffer because people can't get their act together," she said. "Whether you like wolves or not, nobody wants to see animals harmed."
Morgart says the news isn't all bad.
There are initial reports from the field that a new wild pack of uncollared wolves has formed and has pups.
Three wolves, an adult male and two female yearlings, will be released this month in the Gila Wilderness. The females are two of the Francisco Pack pups removed from the wild last year.
An adult pair is also set for release this month.
In addition, the captive breeding population is flourishing with more than 300 animals in 47 facilities, Morgart said.
"Those things all obviously offset some of the management losses that we've had," he said.
'Excessive handling'
Wolves killing livestock seems to be at the heart of the problems with the reintroduction program. But how to handle the issue is controversial.
A long-delayed five-year review of the program recommended several changes. Neither the environmental nor the ranching community thinks the changes will fix the problems.
Robinson and Bixby point to the program's three-strikes policy and "excessive handling" of wolves as reasons for the population decline.
The program's new "SOP 13" calls for permanent removal— dead or alive— of any wolf that has been involved in three depredations within one year.
Morgart said SOP 13 merely codified what the program had being doing all along. Environmental groups have also long said ranchers should be required to remove livestock carcasses or cover them with lime so wolves don't get a taste for beef and go on to kill cows.
They also say wolves should be allowed to stray outside the current program boundaries without being recaptured.
The Center for Biological Diversity formally petitioned for those changes in 2004.
Last week, the cattle growers, New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, New Mexico Federal Lands Council and three other groups made their own petition for changes.
They want the program to crack down more on depredating wolves, counting each animal killed as a strike rather than each incident. They also think depredation should include harm to an animal, not just killing, Cowan said.
They want the federal government to reimburse ranchers and counties for losses related to wolves.
And they want the program to inventory all wild wolves.
"Until that happens, they need to be accountable for every wolf that's out there," said Joel Alderete, regional director for the Farm and Livestock Bureau. "They have no idea what is out there."
Morgart said he is considering all the comments from the public and working to get recommendations on any program rule changes to his boss at the Fish and Wildlife Service "at lightning speed."
So why do they insist on putting them out here on us, and our neighbors? Just trash the whole program and let everyone get back to normal!!!!!!!!!!!
