Feds release wolf pairs in NM, Arizona

The wild population of endangered Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest is getting a boost. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department have partnered to release a pair of wolves in the Apache National Forest. The male and female wolves were transported this week from a wildlife refuge in New Mexico to a holding pen in the Alpine Ranger District. Another pair of wolves is being released in southwestern New Mexico. Federal officials say the wolves were packed on the backs of specially trained mules into the Gila Wilderness on Saturday so they could be placed into a temporary holding pen. The wolves will be able to chew through the pen to leave the site. There are at least 75 Mexican gray wolves in the wild in the two states. AP