The Arizona Game and Fish Department and the New Mexico Department of Wildlife, working through the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team, have completed their 2025 annual count of Mexican gray wolves, documenting a minimum of 319 wolves in the wild across the two states.
The total marks an increase from 286 wolves counted at the end of 2024 and continues a steady upward trajectory that has defined the recovery effort.
According to the agencies, the new total moves the recovery program closer to meeting criteria for downlisting the Mexican wolf under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The current benchmark calls for a four-year average of 320 wolves to support reclassification from endangered to threatened. Although that four-year average has not yet been met, reaching 319 wolves would trigger the timing for downlisting to be considered.
A key element of that process would be the development of a 4(d) rule under the ESA, which would provide Arizona and New Mexico with greater management flexibility to address wolf-livestock conflicts while continuing recovery efforts.
Environmental groups, however, urge caution. “As with any endangered species, especially one that was totally eradicated from the wild just a few decades ago, an increase in population is worth celebrating,” said Leia Barnett of WildEarth Guardians. “But 319 wolves does not guarantee a healthy, thriving population.”
Advocates argue that removals tied to livestock conflicts continue to strain a gene pool that traces back to just seven founding wolves. They point to research showing that releasing bonded male-female pairs with pups has produced higher survival rates than cross-fostering captive-born pups into wild dens, where many have disappeared.
The population gains have also fueled political debate. In 2025, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) introduced House Resolution 4255, the Enhancing Safety for Animals (ESA) Act, which would delist the Mexican wolf from the ESA and delink the U.S. and Mexican populations.
“Since being reintroduced to the wild in Arizona, Mexican wolves have preyed on cattle, livestock, and even family pets, causing significant financial losses and economic hardship on family-run ranches,” Gosar said.
The bill received a favorable recommendation from the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources on a largely party-line 23-13 vote on Jan. 22.
In 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) released its 5-Year Evaluation of the Mexican Wolf Recovery Strategy, assessing progress in both the U.S. and Mexico. The agency reported that interim five-year abundance targets were 145 wolves in the U.S. and 100 in Mexico. By 2022, the U.S. population had reached at least 242 wolves—well above its interim target—while Mexico documented 35 wolves, falling short of its benchmark.
USFWS also reported that both populations surpassed projections for gene diversity over the five-year period, with the U.S. and Mexico populations retaining more than 90% of the captive population’s gene diversity.
The current recovery strategy calls for establishing and maintaining two resilient, genetically diverse populations distributed across ecologically and geographically diverse areas within the subspecies’ historic range in both countries. While the U.S. population has exceeded interim targets, growth in Mexico has not kept pace with projections, nor has it met abundance and release goals. — Charles Wallace, WLJ contributing editor
