Help give lobos a lifeline

Help fight for Mexican gray wolves!

Dear folks, In 1998, I found myself standing in Alpine, Arizona on the brink of a momentous occasion for Mexican gray wolves. At the time, I was head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and had the extraordinary honor of releasing 11 of these beautiful creatures back into the American Southwest where they had been declared extinct in the wild since the mid-1970’s. I never would have imagined that just 19 years later, FWS would propose a recovery plan that measurably abandons their responsibility to secure a future for this iconic American species and would mean walking away from the promise we made to those 11 wolves on that historic day. I won’t let the promise of a future for Mexican gray wolves, or lobos, go unfulfilled – and I know you won’t either. Ricardo, we need your help to continue the fight to ensure lobos have a future. This is a critical time for one of the world’s rarest land mammals. FWS is proposing a radical new plan that would drastically curtail efforts to restore Mexican gray wolves to the southern borderlands and threaten all recovery efforts thus far. Defenders won’t turn our backs on lobos – we just wish FWS felt the same way. Just over 100 lobos remain in the wild within the U.S., and this ill-conceived plan could jeopardize this fragile population with devastating consequences. It would draw artificial boundaries that would prevent lobos from dispersing to places that scientists say are necessary for their continued survival. The plan would also arbitrarily cap the population at 320 individuals – far fewer than the scientifically–recommended 750 needed to ensure their future. Finally, it would improperly turn over decision-making authority on wolf releases to states that have a long track record of hostility toward lobo recovery, allowing FWS to renege on its responsibilities to release lobos. Please make a donation today to help us push back on this reckless plan. If Mexican gray wolves are going to have any chance at a future in the wild, they are going to need a lifeline now. Together we can keep the promise of a future for lobos. Sincerely, Jamie Rappaport Clark President, Defenders of Wildlife

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