Is the Mexican grey wolf facing extinction?
Answer… The Mexican grey wolf (Canis lupus baileyi, also called Mexican wolf or “lobo”) is the most genetically distinct and highly endangered sub-species of grey wolf. It is also one of the rarest mammals in the world. It is estimated that at least 4,000 Mexican grey wolves once roamed Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, with about the same number in Mexico. But by the 1950s, they had been hunted to extinction in the wild. In 2002, there were only about 175 Mexican grey wolves in the world. All Mexican grey wolves in existence today were born and raised in captivity. In March 1997, the US Fish and Wildlife Service was authorized to begin reintroducing Mexican grey wolves into the Blue Range area of Arizona.
