KOBTV.com – Comment period extended for Mexican gray wolf plan
By: Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) – The public has more time to comment on a five-year review of an effort to reintroduce the endangered Mexican gray wolf in the Southwest.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service began releasing wolves into the wild along the Arizona-New Mexico border in 1998 to re-establish the species in part of its historic range.
As of the end of 2005, there were an estimated 35 to 49 wolves in Arizona and New Mexico.
The five-year review of the reintroduction program recommends expanding the range in which the animals are allowed.
The program is awaiting a response from the Fish and Wildlife Service, which has given the public another 14 days, until May 30th, to comment.
Ranchers have objected to wolf reintroduction, while environmentalists argue that wolf reintroduction is hampered by people more than biological concerns.