KGUN 9 On Your Side, Tucson News, Weather & SportsFederal count of Mexican wolves drops by 10
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Associated Press - February 5, 2010 4:04 PM ET
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Federal wildlife officials overseeing a reintroduction program counted 42 Mexican wolves in the wilds of Arizona and New Mexico at the end of last year, a significant drop from the 52 reported one year earlier.
There are 27 wolves in Arizona and 15 in New Mexico.
Fish and Wildlife Service regional director Benjamin Tuggle says he's extremely disappointed and troubled by the low numbers. He says federal biologists are determined to identify the reasons for the decline and turn the situation around.
Biologists had predicted a self-sustaining wild population of 100 wolves by now. Federal officials say the number has fluctuated because of deaths, births and removals.
The survey classified two pairs of wolves as breeding pairs, the same number counted in 2008.
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