What is the conservation status of the Mexican wolf?

The Mexican gray wolf has been recognized as an endangered species since 1976 and about 300 individuals currently live in captivity between the United States and Mexico. Twenty years after gaining this endangered status, these rare predators were returned to the Southwest through a bi-national reintroduction program.

What do you call a Mexican wolf?

The Mexican wolf, also known as “El Lobo,” is the smallest subspecies of the gray wolf and the most endangered wolf in the world.

Is the Mexican GREY wolf still endangered?

The Mexican wolf was listed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an endangered species in May 1976, and was considered extinct in the wild up until their reintroduction in 1998 into Arizona and New Mexico. A few may remain in the wild in Mexico; however, their presence there has not been confirmed since 1980.

Are Mexican wolves endangered?

After the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973 and the Mexican wolf added to the endangered list in 1976, just seven wolves — three captured from the wild and four already in captivity — proved the foundation for captive breeding; no wolves were confirmed in the wild in Mexico after the last of the seven was …

When did the Mexican wolf become an endangered species?

In 1976, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Mexican wolf as an endangered species. The Mexican wolf is an endangered-species rarity in that its major recovery needs are not habitat management and restoration.

What was the management of the Mexican wolf?

In the 1980s, the recovery effort focused mainly on involving the public in discussions about reintroducing the Mexican wolf. Management activities during the 1990s included public opinion surveys, public meetings, site feasibility studies and surveys for areas that would support naturally-occurring wolves.

Are there any wild wolves left in Mexico?

Wolves once roamed over much of what we now know as Mexico until extermination efforts successfully removed the wolf. No reliable sighting of a wild Mexican wolf has been reported since the last five individuals were captured and placed in a captive breeding program in Arizona in 1980.

What kind of animal is the Mexican wolf?

Mexican wolf. The Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi), also known as the lobo, is a subspecies of gray wolf once native to southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, western Texas and northern Mexico.