Seminar: On the Road to Recovery: the Mexican Wolf Story

Abstract:

The wild Mexican wolf population in the southwestern United States has been growing an average of 14% annually since 2009, with a 23% surge in the last year. We now have twice the number of wolves in Arizona and New Mexico as does Yellowstone National Park. The 2022 survey represented all-time records in minimum numbers of wolves (241), number pups produced (121), pups recruited into the population (81), number of packs that produced pups (31), and adult wolves (160) in the wild. Close and productive international efforts are working to grow the second population in northern Mexico. Another recovery area in Mexico is being considered by the Mexican government and a team of Mexican experts. The binational Mexican wolf Recovery Plan completed in 2017 is based on a more advanced, customized population viability model populated with the best available data. The recovery plan and population model are far more complex and realistic than previous versions and provide a roadmap for successful Mexican wolf recovery in its historical range. We are well on the road to successfully returning this small wolf subspecies to play its ecological role in the American Southwest and Mexico. This talk will cover the interrelated issues of Mexican wolf historical range, the geography of current recovery efforts, genetic management, human coexistence, and the path to full recovery.

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