Gray Wolf Numbers Rising

There are an estimated 59 endangered Mexican gray wolves in the wild now, enough to allow public lands ranchers to kill problem wolves in some circumstances. The wolf reintroduction field team used ground, helicopter and fixed-wing airplane surveys to count 49 wolves and then identified another 10 from tracks, scat and other signs this month. That's an increase from 35 to 49 wolves counted a year ago but still far below the eight-year-old program's original goal of having 102 lobos in the wild by now. Meanwhile, the program team has tried to catch an alpha male wolf that killed a Gila family's horse earlier this month. The wolf population count identified 22 wolves in five packs and four lone wolves in New Mexico. The field team also counted a total of seven breeding pairs. That's enough to allow the Fish and Wildlife Service for the first time to issue permits to ranchers to kill problem wolves attacking livestock on public land. The permits would be valid only on grazing allotments where wolves have previously injured or killed livestock....