r/wolves

If you live in Southern California or know anyone that does, the new Kennedy Meadows Wolf Center is hosting 2 events where you can actually touch the animals and even hold Puppies...kmWolfCenter.com

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pups

By Alex Weiner

Bi-national effort results in release of endangered Mexican wolves in historic territory

Apr 12, 2026

Through collaborative efforts between wildlife and government officials in Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico, Mexican gray wolves are roaming the state of Durango for the first time since the 1970s.

Two family groups of four “lobos” born in the U.S. were released into mountainous habitat in Durango, south of Sonora and Chihuahua, in March upon approval from the Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) program.

“We’re delighted that there will once again be Mexican gray wolves roaming the forests of Durango, and we’re particularly impressed that the agencies released two entire families of wolves together,” Greta Anderson, deputy director of Western Watersheds Project, said in a press release.

A female with satellite telemetry was released in the state of Chihuahua, where other wolves have been documented. Additional wolves will be released in Chihuahua from the United States later this spring to increase the number of successful packs.

Mexican gray wolves are native to the American Southwest and Mexico, but they were extinct from the wild by 1980. The wolves were listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1975, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service captured the last wild wolves from Chihuahua and Durango to begin a captive breeding program that has led to the reintroduction of wolves north and south of the border.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department said in a press release that Durango was one of the last strongholds for the subspecies and contains abundant habitat for reintroduction. A study published by The Wildlife Society in January concluded that Durango was a promising area for repopulation due to its topography and biological diversity.

Durango Gov. Dr. Esteban A. Villegas and head of Natural Resources Claudia E. Hernandez Espino afforded the governor’s plane to transport the wolves from Ciudad Juarez.

“Any international wildlife recovery program is difficult, as the listed animal generally has limited numbers to safely release,” Clay Crowder, assistant director of the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Wildlife Management Division, said in a press release.

“Fortunately, the SAFE program has been extremely successful with managing the captive population, and excess animals are available for release. With the success of the captive wolf program and with amazing support from universities and wildlife management agencies in Mexico, approval was obtained for releases into both Durango and Chihuahua.”

By 2025, the population in Arizona and New Mexico grew to at least 319 wolves (143 in Arizona), up from 286 in 2024 (124 in Arizona). The population has experienced steady growth over the past decade.

Approximately 340 wolves remain in facilities in the United States and Mexico, including Scottsdale’s Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, according to the Wolf Conservation Center.

Wildlife managers in the U.S. have used cross-fostering, moving captive-born pups into wild dens, to boost populations and genetic diversity, which is a challenge since the active lobo population derives from seven wolves.

Environmental groups have continued to call for the release of family packs in the United States.

“It’s great to see reintroduction into wolfless habitats and specifically through releases of well-bonded family packs,” Michael Robinson, a senior conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a press release. “I wish for the U.S. agencies to be inspired by the example from south of our border and allow wolves to wander the Grand Canyon and southern Rockies once again.”

About 90% of the Mexican gray wolves’ historic range was south of the border, according to AZGFD.

Lobos, the smallest subspecies of gray wolves, are still an endangered species, although there have been recent efforts to delist them.

Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona introduced legislation last summer to delist the wolves due to their alleged impact on ranchers, which conservation groups have pushed back against, citing the possibility of extinction without protection.