ABQjournal: Payment Wanted For Wolf Damage

Grant County commissioners have approved a resolution requesting that the state and federal governments pay for livestock and pets killed by Mexican gray wolves, and compensate the county for lost hunting opportunities and emotional damage.

Meanwhile, The New Mexico Game Commission will conduct a two-hour “listening session” on the Mexican wolf reintroduction program today in Las Cruces.

The Grant County resolution, requested by the Grant County Area Cattle Growers and the Gila Fish and Gun Club, drew both support and opposition before the commission passed it last week.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began releasing the endangered wolves on the Arizona-New Mexico border in 1998 to re-establish the species in part of its historic range after the animals had been hunted to the brink of extinction in the early 1900s.

Supporters said that wolves preying on livestock are driving ranchers out of business and that ranchers weren’t being fairly compensated for wolf kills.

Opponents, however, complained that the cattle industry already is heavily subsidized. They also said ranchers weren’t doing their part by removing cattle carcasses to keep wolves from becoming accustomed to eating beef and by modifying practices during calving season to better protect their cows.

Last month, adjacent Catron County passed an ordinance that would allow a designated county officer to trap or remove Mexican gray wolves if federal authorities don’t act first. The ordinance conflicts with federal procedures, raising questions about its legality.