The wild Mexican wolf population grew by 24% last year to a total of 163 wolves - higher than it’s been since reintroduction. This success is, in large part, due to the hard work of amazing interns working on Mexican gray wolf recovery efforts. These dedicated volunteers are instrumental in every step of the process, from field camera monitoring to helicopter counts to one of the most successful cross-fostering events! To make this happen, Defenders teamed-up with the California Wolf Center, a captive breeding facility for Mexican gray wolves, to support a field internship program, where volunteers with experience in biology and wildlife management help the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Arizona Game and Fish Department to monitor wolves and implement conflict-reduction tools and techniques to give our lobos the greatest chance of success in the wild. One of our former interns, Austin Rife, was so good at this he became a contractor with Defenders to focus exclusively on deterring wolf-livestock conflicts. Some of our interns ended their time with the program in March, and while we’re sad to see them go, we’re excited to see what they do next for wildlife and conservation!
Field Notes: Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Efforts Winter–Spring 2020
Field Notes: Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Efforts Winter–Spring 2020