ALBUQUERQUE - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday ordered the shooting of a female Mexican gray wolf that has killed too many cows in southwestern New Mexico.
It was the first time since 2007 that the agency has taken the step to kill an endangered wolf due to livestock problems.
The order calls for shooting the Fox Mountain Pack's alpha female.
Wolf Recovery Coordinator Sherry Barrett said it was a difficult decision given that the population of endangered wolves in New Mexico and Arizona has been struggling since reintroduction began 14 years ago.
"Our goal is to recover the population and to grow this particular population, but we also recognize the need to address these depredations," she said.
The rancher who lost cattle to the Fox Mountain Pack was compensated for his losses, but Barrett did not know how much he was paid through the government's reimbursement program.
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Wolf supporters were upset with the decision. They cited concerns about the ability of the pack's pups to survive without their mother and the limited opportunity for the pack's male to find another mate.
"This is a terrible decision. It just doesn't make sense to kill her," said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group that has been critical of wolf management.
Daniel Patterson of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility accused the federal government of encouraging a welfare ranching policy through its actions.
He also pointed out that the program has not released into the wild any new wolves in nearly four years.
A subspecies of the gray wolf, the Mexican wolf once roamed parts of New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Mexico. Hunting and government-sponsored extermination campaigns all but wiped out the predator. It was added to the federal endangered-species list in 1976, and a captive-breeding program was started.
The first batch of wolves was released in May 1998, and at least 58 remain in the wild along the New Mexico-Arizona border. Biologists estimate there are 14 packs in the two states.
Aside from political setbacks, illegal shootings and courtroom battles, genetic diversity has been a problem for the program. Biologists say inbreeding can result in smaller litter sizes and higher pup mortality rates.
Barrett said the alpha female and male are cousins, so the female is not considered as genetically valuable as other wolves.
