For the first time since their reintroduction into the wild, Mexican wolf populations in Arizona and New Mexico exceeded 200, with at least 241 wild wolves recorded in 2022.

Brady McGee, Mexican Wolf Recovery Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said: “It is truly amazing that we have gone from zero Mexican wolves in the wild to 241 today. and demonstrated that we are on the road to recovery. These achievements are testament to partner-led conservation in the West.”

The estimated population for 2022 is a 23% increase from the 2021 minimum of 196 individuals. This marks the seventh consecutive year of population growth. The population is distributed between 136 in New Mexico and 105 in Arizona.

“The road to recovery for endangered species is neither straight nor easy. This has proven to be the case with the Mexican wolf,” said Mexican Wolf Coordinator, Arizona Games and Fish Division. said Jim DeVos. “The phenomenal growth that occurred in 2022 has accelerated recovery at an alarming rate. It is documented that 31 mating pairs produced 121 pups, 81 of which survived to tally. That’s a very high survival rate of 67%.There are still areas to cover on the road to recovery, but in 2022 the recovery program has covered many areas.”

Mexican wolf population information is collected by the Interagency Field Team (IFT) from November to February. During this time, IFT will conduct ground and airborne surveys using a variety of methods including remote cameras, feces collection and visual observations. By counting populations at the end of each year, it is possible to compare year-to-year trends during the most stable periods of the Mexican wolf population.

Findings for 2022 include:

• At least 59 packs have been recorded by the end of 2022. 40 packs in New Mexico and 19 packs in Arizona. A wolf pack is defined as two or more wolves maintaining an established home range.

• At least 121 puppies will be born in 2022 and at least 81 will be alive by the end of the year (67% survival rate). The average survival rate of a Mexican wolf cub is about 50% in her first year.
• A minimum of 31 breeding pairs (20 in New Mexico and 11 in Arizona) have been recorded for 2022.
• At the end of the year, there were 109 wolves in the wild, representing 45% of the wild population.

“Continued cooperation between the Arizona and New Mexico wildlife departments and services is vital to the recovery of Mexican wolves,” said Stewart Riley, chief of wildlife for New Mexico’s Department of Game and Fish. “During this counting and trapping effort, we were able to capture and wirelessly collar 21 wolves. As we strive to meet our recovery goals, we remain committed to building a strong and supportive team to manage wolves across our range.”

Other highlights from this year include:

• Puppy breeding efforts yielded 11 puppies From captivity put in five wild burrows in the spring. IFT has since documented that two of these puppies survived. This brings the known number of foster wolves recorded alive to 14.
• The IFT recorded the lowest total annual mortality for Mexican wolves since 2017 (when the population declined significantly). In 2022, 12 deaths were recorded, six for him in Arizona and six for him in New Mexico. This is significantly lower than in 2021 (25) and 2020 (29).
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service successfully rescued seven captive Mexican wolves from the enclosure at the Ladder Ranch Wolf Management Facility during a spring black fire. The wolf was temporarily kept in Sevilletta’s wolf management facility until it could be safely returned to Ladder Ranch.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Service of Game and Fish, New Mexico Service of Game and Fish, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources through the National Commission on Protected Areas and the Wildlife Service, signed the letter of intent Establish the intent of all parties to continue to work together to protect, manage and restore Mexican wolves in the United States and Mexico.
• Sierra County, New Mexico has become a cooperating signatory under the Memorandum of Understanding on the Recovery and Management of the Mexican Wolf. This brings the total number of MOU signatories to 17.

The Mexican wolf is the rarest gray wolf subspecies in North America. It is listed as an endangered species separately from the gray wolf under the Federal Endangered Species Act. In 1977, the service and its partners began efforts to protect the subspecies by developing a binational captive breeding program with the seven remaining Mexican wolves in existence. First released back into the wild in 1998, the Mexican wolf was known to exist in the wild in the United States for the first time in 30 years.

In addition to the smallest wild populations, approximately 380 Mexican wolves are currently maintained at more than 60 facilities in the United States and Mexico through the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Program.

Partners for Mexican wolf recovery in the U.S. include the Service, Arizona Game Service, New Mexico Game Service, USDA Forest Service, USDA APHIS Wildlife Service, White Mountain Apaches, Land Service . Management, National Park Service, and Species Conservation Programs.