Several conservation organizations urged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service not to recapture a Mexican gray wolf that recently crossed Interstate 40 in New Mexico and returned to the Mount Taylor area, where it was previously removed in May.
The wolf traveled more than 150 miles to return to the site.
“Wolves have always crossed these arbitrary lines,” said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity. “Now more than ever Mexican wolves need connections with wolves to the north to increase their diminished genetic diversity.”
Scientists say recovery depends on allowing wolves to expand into areas like northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.
