A young female Mexican gray wolf was spotted north of the I-40 highway in New Mexico, extending the wolf’s territory and giving environmental groups a reason to celebrate.
The wolf, named Asha by schoolchildren in a naming contest, was born in Arizona from the Rocky Prairie pack in 2021 and outfitted with a radio collar in 2022. The wolf has journeyed back and forth off I-40, east of Albuquerque, NM.
“Wolves like Asha clearly show us that political lines like the Interstate 40 boundary are meaningless to a wolf, and the policies limiting wolf dispersal to the northern parts of Arizona and New Mexico must be revised. We’re cheering her progress north and hope that the wildlife management agencies will let her run wild and free,” said Greta Anderson, deputy director of Western Watersheds Project. Mexican gray wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Last month, environmental groups petitioned to provide better federal protections for Mexican gray wolves by listing coyotes within the wolves’ recovery area.
