LAURA, WOLVES & THE "REPORTER"

Dear Albuquerque Journal,

I don't know about you but I am getting pretty sick of Tania Soussan's sole source of information about Mexican wolf problems being the one and only Michael Robinson from the Center for Biological Diversity. If you look at her wolf stories from the past couple years you will see her major source is Mr. Robinson and he basically gives her one quote that she uses over and over. She will not call anyone actually dealing with problem wolves wreaking havoc on their lives.

Has she no one else to turn to for information, or is she just too excited about getting his message across to get the facts from anyone else?

Michael Robinson does not live with or deal with wolves, he studies philosophizes and apparently writes poorly reviewed books about them. Robinson had to be shown peer reviewed studies that prove livestock scavenging is unrelated to depredation tolls. Did it matter to him, not in the least, he has his agenda and he sticks to it like glue. The question is, why is the Albuquerque Journal tolerating Soussan's lazy and biased reporting?

Had Ms. Soussan bothered to call me or anyone else who actually deals with wolf issues, she might have learned something about the habituation to livestock and people that the FWS has perpetuated in this program through their recycled wolf release and minimum management of problem wolves policies. She might have learned there are 40 known wolves in NM alone and about the same in Arizona. There are another 13 sightings and close encounters from September on just in New Mexico that should have been investigated by the FWS but were not.

I could also have told her how two weeks ago, an 8 year old girl was nearly attacked by a Mexican wolf on her parents private property in front of their home, thankfully, one the family dogs stepped in and took the brunt of the attack and ended up at the Vet's office in Silver City, the 8 year old did what 8 year olds do, she ran for mom and dad, a real no-no according to the biologists.

I could have told her how just last month, a 14 year old boy was accosted and stalked by three Mexican wolves and thankfully he was smart enough to back up to a tree and was lucky enough to have been raised with knowledge on wildlife behavior. He got away, this time anyway, but it may not have been the case if he had been from downtown Albuquerque instead of Glenwood NM. This kid knew not to run or he might just die. This young man was commended by a wildlife behaviorist for saving his own life. This PHD says the wolves were prey testing; he should know that is a PHD in wildlife behavior. I could have directed Ms. Soussan to this source but as I said, she never bothered to call.

I could have told her how M-589 was not a scavenger, he was a wild born wolf with no collar caught off a calf kill last year. If it was not a wolf's instinct to kill livestock as well as game, why did this wild born wolf not make it, without reverting to livestock depredation? Partly because of all the exposure this animal had to the many re-released problem animals that were killing livestock. I could have told her how M-859's mate F-924 is also badly human habituated, having to be run off the front yard of a ranch home where there is a two year old child.

Ms. Soussan has rapidly become the laziest reporter in the entire state, she is so disinterested in gathering the facts that I literally cringe when I see her byline. Knowing what I do about her lack of research and inability to interview someone who does not share her opinions makes me automatically chalk everything she writes as grammatically correct BS. Good grammar and syntax do not make a good reporter. The ability and willingness to go beyond your own opinions for real and varied information on your subject make a real reporter. Can't the journal just put her in the opinion section where she belongs?

Sincerely

Laura Schneberger

Gila Livestock Growers Association
P.O. Box 111
Winston NM 87943