Opinion: The highest and best use for Arizona’s public lands is to support native plants and animals like the Mexican gray wolf, not cattle.
The ranchers were right: Wolves and cattle can’t share the public lands in Arizona and New Mexico.
The cows have to go.
Ranchers have had decades to make this work.
They failed – though, to be fair, a few have tried.
Why we need more wolves
But on the whole, the ranching industry has steadfastly opposed the effort to restore the endangered Mexican gray wolf to the southwest – an effort that began on public lands with the release of 11 wolves in 1998.
This month, a coalition of 25 conservation groups called on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to increase genetic…
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Exposing the Big Game 
This is one of the most important articles on why continued compromise and genuflection to the Livestock Industry by animal groups is not helping wolves. Is there any wonder why this 40 year old “wolf program” is dying–along with the wolves?
Many of us for some time have been raising concern about environmental/wildlife groups continuing to appease these public lands ranchers, even to the extent of paying them for “alleged losses.” Even if there are some losses, these are factored into the livestock business. What a deal for the ranchers! If ranchers cannot exist on their private lands–to bad. The public lands belong to remaining wildlife.
If the Mexican wolf program is to have any chance of really protecting, saving wolves, here is what we should demand immediately:
1. Where there are wolves living, or being released (such as in the Gila Wilderness, Arizona, ALL LIVESTOCK PERMITS SHOULD BE PERMANENTLY CANCELLED. The livestock Industry will never accept wolves in any viable numbers, no matter what these groups do to appease them. I’s time to get tough. Ranchers are killing any wolves they find, and in this current anti-wildlife political scene, and Climate Change upon us, it may get even worse.
2. Volunteer (and paid) wolf patrols should be established, to help protect wolves in these areas, similar to what goes on in Africa, with Gorilla, Elephant, Rhino patrols to protect against poaching. Perhaps Defenders, & other groups, can help fund this, once they stop paying off ranchers.
3. Stop cruel zoo/lab experimentation of the Mexican wolves, which involves taking wild wolf pups out of their wild dens, from their wild mothers, and transporting these pups to zoos, where zoo wolf pups are then transported from Chicago & St. Louis zoos to remaining wild wolf dens. Besides the trauma of long transport to and from zoos, just think of what these wolf pups are experiencing, not to mention their real mothers. Are we humans that stupid to think the wolf mothers don’t know who their pups are? Well, actually, the God-like pseudo scientist/game managers of this failed program have the arrogance to claim wolf mothers cannot tell the difference! Really?
This “cross-fostering” Mexican wolf program is another example Science Gone Mad while furthering the advertisement of zoos as “helping wildlife,” when many of us know that these zoos make lots of $$$ from entrance fees–so stupid humans can “view a real live baby wolf. ”
Either these wolf program pseudo scientists have lost their understanding of what a wild animal is, and how it feels towards its young, –or they are simply sell-outs to the zoo industry, which is happy to do wolf genetics experimentation. Dan Ash , head of the Assoc. of Zoos and Aquariums, is involved in this dubious program— & is also a bragging hunter–a great one to be making decisions about endangered wolves, wouldn’t you say?
4. People in Colorado are working on a plan to re-introduce wild wolves in their state. A successful introduction would create wildlife “corridors or bridges” for wild wolves to migrate back and forth from other areas. Give wild wolves— whether called Mexican or otherwise—Livestock/Hunting Free habitat, and they will know what to do for themselves. They do not need pseudo scientists playing Genetics Gods, manipulating wolf breeding in zoos. Diversity in The Wild will happen.
As long as we allow the Livestock Industry and pseudo scientists playing game managers, to decide how wolves live, breed, or die, nothing will change. This endeavor won’t be easy, and the enemies of wildlife will fight back, but what is the alternative for saving The Wild?
Rosemary Lowe
http://www.foranimals.org
Thank you, Rosemary. This is a great article and should be reprinted in every newspaper in America. Getting livestock off public land is long overdue…as long as ranchers and hunters have a say in wolf recovery, there will be no real recovery.