Congress wants to delist the Grey Wolf from the Endangered Species list. Sadly, this also impacts the Mexican Grey Wolf and the Red Wolf, who still need protection. Mexican Wolves need the most help though, with a wild population around 48 and still declining. Let's tell congress to keep the Grey Wolf on the ES list, or list the Mexican Grey wolf and the Red wolf as seperate species from the Grey.
I recently heard that you wish to delist the Grey Wolf, including all North American sub-species, from the Endangered Species list. I would like to remind you, that two sub-species of the Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) are in danger of extinction. These two sub-species are the Mexican Grey Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) and the Red Wolf (Canis lupus rufus). Without federal protection, I predict these two species could face extinction within the next ten years, but the Mexican Wolf would go faster due to its dwindling population.
Mexican Wolves currently have a wild population of about 40-48 individuals. The captive populations are higher, at around 200, but they could never be released into the wild, due to the lack of survival skills that would be required. Without protection, I predict this species to become extinct in as little as 2-3 years. These skills are not aquired from individuals that are socialized too much with humans and raised in zoos.
The Red Wolf, on the other hand, has a current wild population around 100. This species was extinct at one time, but has been reintroduced through special programs that limit human contact.
Wolves are vital to the eco-system. They regulate herbivore populations, reduce the number of diseased herbivores, and provide food for other predators and scavengers. Without wolves, herbivore populations would grow until they are out of control, scavengers will have less food, trees and other plants would die due to too many herbivores, and streams would over-flow easily due to lack of grass roots holding soil in place.
In conclusion, all wolves are vital to the eco-system and therefore must be preserved. The Mexican Grey wolf and the Red wolf should be listed seperately from the Grey Wolf, so they won't have to face extinction due to our own causes.
