Do Mexican wolves always remain at initial release sites and within wilderness area boundaries?
Throughout the period when reintroduction was first discussed with the public, agency representatives spoke consistently and forthrightly about the likelihood that if wolves were reintroduced, some would likely localize and others might travel hundreds of miles. Mexican wolf packs range over large areas (on average about 200-square miles) and individual wolves can disperse hundreds of miles. As predicted, some wolves have established home ranges in areas in which they were released, while others have moved into other areas to establish a home range. This information was well known about wolves prior to the reintroduction of Mexican wolves in the BRWRA. No promises were ever made that that wolves would somehow be restricted to local areas of the BRWRA. Wolves are allowed to exist anywhere within this boundary. The IFT is, however, required to capture packs that establish territories wholly outside the BRWRA per the Final Rule (63 FR 1752). The fact that these rules were established sugg
