Wildlife advocates say traps harm Mexican gray wolf recovery efforts in New Mexico

Four endangered Mexican gray wolves have been caught in hunting traps in New Mexico in the past two months, leaving one dead and another with an amputated leg. Troubled by those numbers, wildlife advocates say the traps are a poorly recognized threat to rehabilitating Mexican gray wolves. Since 2002, 38 Mexican wolves have been caught in traps in New Mexico — compared to just four trapped in Arizona in the same period. Of those, 18 were injured or required amputation and another five died as a result of the trap. The data was compiled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and analyzed by animal advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife. Bryan Bird, the Southwest program director for Defenders of Wildlife, called the number of animals trapped each year “a bad sign. We have to get a handle on that.” He said the data do not indicate whether the wolves that are injured or killed by traps are those with valuable genetic diversity — a crucial factor in helping to rebuild the largely inbred Mexican gray wolf population. Arizona and New Mexico share the habitat for the animals, with 114 wolves counted in both states as of January 2017. An updated count is underway...MORE