An Arizona Senate committee has passed a measure requiring prior approval for the release of Mexican gray wolves into the wild.
Sen. Gail Griffin of Hereford sponsored the legislation requiring the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to approve any release of a Mexican gray wolf. The measure prevents release near state trust land or private property and requires a full DNA profile of each released wolf.
About 110 Mexican gray wolves roam a portion of Arizona and New Mexico nearly two decades after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released 11 wolves.
The Senate Natural Resources Committee passed Senate Bill 1243 on a 6-1 vote.
The Sierra Club's Arizona chapter opposed the measure saying the commission has previously blocked recovery efforts. A commission spokesman says it supports Mexican wolf recovery.
