Current:Home > reviewsMajor effort underway to restore endangered Mexican wolf populations-VaTradeCoin
Major effort underway to restore endangered Mexican wolf populations
lotradecoin regional trading regulations View Date:2025-01-12 15:43:13
Reserve, New Mexico — The race to save an endangered species took five newborn Mexican wolf pups on a nearly 2,500-mile journey from captivity in New York to the wild in New Mexico.
"Time is trauma, and the very best place for a wolf pup to be is with a mother," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service veterinarian Susan Dicks told CBS News.
Mexican wolves, or lobos, were once plentiful in the Southwest. But they were hunted nearly to extinction. By the mid-1970s, there were just seven in existence, according to USFWS.
"They are doing better and improving," Dicks said. "But that's a fine line. Disease comes through, something happens, they could be lost."
There are now about 250 back in the wild, USFWS says, but a lack of genetic diversity makes rehoming pups from captivity necessary.
Not everyone is thrilled, though.
At Barbara Marks' family ranch in the Arizona community of Blue, wolves were a threat back in 1891, and she says they are targeting her calves again now.
"The numbers have increased dramatically," Marks said. "So they have become more of an issue, and more of a year-round issue."
Wildlife officials estimate that about 100 cattle are lost annually to Mexican wolves. Marks opposed releasing them into the nearby Apache National Forest, but also knows her new neighbors are here to stay.
To reunite the wolf pups with their new mother in the wild required hiking through miles of difficult and prickly terrain to reach the wolf den. The wild pups were given a health screening and then introduced to their new siblings.
"We've got them all mixed together, all the puppies smelling the same," USFWS program coordinator Brady McGee said. "And we put microchips, and put them back in the den. And when we walk away from it, the mom will come back."
Dicks explained that the mother wolf doesn't necessarily notice that her litter has suddenly increased in size.
"You know, we don't think they can count," Dicks said. "But they will care for pups whether or not they're theirs."
- In:
- New Mexico
- Endangered Species
- Arizona
Kris Van Cleave is CBS News' senior transportation and national correspondent based in Phoenix.
TwitterveryGood! (4819)
Related
- What was 2024's best movie? From 'The Substance' to 'Conclave,' our top 10
- Mamie Laverock speaks out for first time after suffering 5-story fall: 'My heart is full'
- Bella Thorne Slams Ozempic Trend For Harming Her Body Image
- Pilot living her dream killed in crash after skydivers jump from plane near Niagara Falls
- Luigi Mangione merchandise raises controversy, claims of glorifying violence
- How to Watch the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony and All Your Favorite Sports
- Oregon woman with flat tire hit by ambulance on interstate, dies
- FACT FOCUS: A look at false claims around Kamala Harris and her campaign for the White House
- Singaporean killed in Johor expressway crash had just paid mum a surprise visit in Genting
- LeBron James is named one of Team USA's flag bearers for Opening Ceremony
Ranking
- Amazon's Thank My Driver feature returns: How to give a free $5 tip after delivery
- Dozens of Maine waterfront businesses get money to rebuild from devastating winter storms
- No prison for a nursing home owner who sent 800 residents to ride out a hurricane in squalor
- Karen Read back in court after murder case of Boston police officer boyfriend ended in mistrial
- Trump will be honored as Time’s Person of the Year and ring the New York Stock Exchange bell
- US investigating some Jeep and Ram vehicles after getting complaints of abrupt engine stalling
- LeBron James selected as Team USA male flagbearer for Paris Olympics opening ceremony
- Harris gets chance to press reset on 2024 race against Trump
Recommendation
-
I loved to hate pop music, until Chappell Roan dragged me back
-
Secret Service director says Trump assassination attempt was biggest agency ‘failure’ in decades
-
Karen Read back in court after murder case of Boston police officer boyfriend ended in mistrial
-
AI industry is influencing the world. Mozilla adviser Abeba Birhane is challenging its core values
-
What Americans think about Hegseth, Gabbard and key Trump Cabinet picks AP
-
LeBron James selected as Team USA male flagbearer for Paris Olympics opening ceremony
-
US investigating some Jeep and Ram vehicles after getting complaints of abrupt engine stalling
-
San Antonio church leaders train to serve as mental health counselors