| | |  Editorials | Environmental | November 2009 
Deal on Mexican Gray Wolf
 Associated Press
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November 15, 2009
| | Environmentalists argued that the rule favored the ranching industry and was a major roadblock to the population recovery effort for the Mexican gray wolf. | |
Albuquerque, N.M The federal Fish and Wildlife Service and environmentalists reached an agreement Friday that scraps a rule the agency had used to kill or permanently remove any wolf that killed three head of livestock in a year.
A spokesman for the agency, Tom Buckley, said the three-strikes rule would no longer stand.
The agency has other ways to deal with livestock kills and remains committed to assisting the local livestock operators in any negative impacts they may have related to wolves, Mr. Buckley said.
Environmentalists argued that the rule favored the ranching industry and was a major roadblock to the population recovery effort for the Mexican gray wolf, a subspecies of the gray wolf. Ranchers said the policy was aimed at wolves that grow accustomed to preying on cattle.
Several environmental groups sued in May 2008, asking a federal court in Arizona to stop the removal policy.
Mr. Buckley said agency officials hoped a judge would sign the settlement this week.
There are about 50 wolves in Arizona and New Mexico half of what biologists had hoped to have by now.
The recovery effort has been hampered by illegal shootings, complaints from ranchers who have lost cattle to the wolves and the removal of wolves that violated the three-strikes rule.
The Fish and Wildlife Service began backing off rigid enforcement of the policy this year.
In June, the agencys southwest regional director, Benjamin Tuggle, allowed an alpha male wolf linked to four livestock killings to remain free in southwestern New Mexico.
Mr. Tuggle said that the wolf had produced pups and that removing him could hurt the recovery program. Only the alpha pair of each pack has pups each year. |
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