Today, the Public Lands Council (PLC) and the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association (NMCGA) announced their support for the Enhancing Safety for Animals (ESA) Act. Introduced by Rep. Paul Gosar (AZ), the ESA Act would delist the Mexican gray wolf and separate the populations in the U.S. and Mexico, allowing for proper management of the species.
“Now is the time to recognize the catastrophic impact that bad federal policy has on local communities. For too long, ranchers in states near our southern border have shouldered the burden of managing this species with limited tools and little support from the federal government who has imposed all manners of burdens. Ranchers and rural communities face daily challenges such as livestock predation and threats to community safety due to overpopulated wolf packs. We commend Congressman Gosar for introducing the Enhancing Safety for Animals Act and working to bring some relief to these communities.” said PLC Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover.
“The Fish and Wildlife Service has been recovering the Mexican wolf for more than 25 years. Despite what it reports, the wolf is recovered numerically and genetically. During that time, the Fish and Wildlife Service has ignored the threat these apex predators cause our citizens and their livelihoods. Enough. The time has come to delist the Mexican wolf and to stop the insanity of tying wolf recovery in the United States, where it has been a success, to recovery of the wolf in Mexico, where all work to date has been an utter failure. Thank you, Congressman Gosar, for listening and acting on this issue.” said New Mexico Cattle Growers Association President-Elect Tom Paterson.
Background
The Mexican grey wolf is listed under the Endangered Species Act as a 10(J) experimental population and the federal protections that come with that listing has made it incredibly hard to manage this abundant apex predator. Established science shows that this species is recovered and should not have been listed to begin with. Mexican wolf populations have skyrocketed in southwestern states such as New Mexico and Arizona and rural communities along with ranchers, are feeling the negative economic impacts of not being able to effectively manage the species. According to Wolves Among Us, for Catron County, NM, “Using an average market valuation as of the fourth quarter of 2024 for the 77 reported head of cattle (bulls, cows, yearlings, calves) confirmed as Mexican wolf depredations, the market value of those livestock based on the market value of a cow was $169,400.”
