For more than 40,000 years the Beringian wolf hunted across a frozen North America. Hunting in packs, this magnificent beast was strong enough to take down horses, bison and even mammoths. As the climate warmed, however, its prey disappeared and the predator slipped into extinction. The gap the Beringian wolf’s extinction left in the continent’s ecosystem was filled by the smaller grey wolf.
One of the earliest branches of this species is generally believed to have moved south to settle across southern California, Baja California, western Texas, Sonora and Chihuahua. In this territory, the grey wolf became isolated from its cousins further north. As their genes no longer mixed, the Mexican wolf diverged into a subspecies that was smaller than its northern relations, with a narrower skull and darker, more variable fur.
The Mexican wolf, Canis lupus baileyi, prospered for thousands of years. The Mexica (Aztecs) associated them with Huitzilopochtli, god of war and the sun, and hundreds of wolf remains have been found in excavations of the sacred precinct of Tenochtitlan. Mexican wolves ranged from northern Mexico to as far south as Oaxaca until the early years of the 20th century when human settlers moved into remote areas in ever-increasing numbers. Now the wolves were hunted for sport, out of fear or to protect livestock. By the early 1970s the Mexican wolf was extinct in the United States and only a handful survived in Mexico.
Conservation begins for the Mexican wolf
In 1973 the U.S. government enacted the Endangered Species Act and wolves were among the first species to be placed under its protection. Not only would further killings be outlawed, but efforts would be made to return wolves to their old range. Between 1977 and 1980 five Mexican wolves — four males and one pregnant female — were captured in Mexico and brought to the U.S. to start a captive breeding program. At this point the wolf was probably extinct in the world. The species was kept alive in captivity, and in 1998, captive born wolves were returned to the wild. On the surface this program has been a magnificent success: there are now an estimated 257 Mexican wolves living wild in the United States, 45 living wild in Mexico and 380 living in captivity in both countries.
Yet serious challenges remain. One concern is that at its most critical moment, the species was down to a handful of individuals, which may have left the genetic pool compromised. One approach to this problem has been cross-fostering: the introduction of captive-born cubs, selected for their gene diversity, into new litters born in the wild. If they survive and breed, these animals will help to expand the Mexican wolf’s gene pool. This process requires locating a den with a newborn litter and rushing a captive-born cub to the area. When the mother goes hunting, a researcher can crawl into the narrow den and place the cub among its new siblings. It is an expensive process and around 50% of all wild-born wolf pups die in their first year of life, so the possibility of an introduced cub eventually reproducing is far from guaranteed. However, there is evidence that the program is working, with 20 litters being identified as coming from cross-fostered wolves.
There are other problems. In the U.S., Interstate 40 has been designated as the northern limit of the Mexican wolf’s permitted range. The wolves, of course, are unaware of this, and in 2021 two wolves moved north, most likely looking for mates. A wolf known as Asha became a regular trespasser and was finally relocated to a conservation center in New Mexico. A male wolf known as Anubis was not so lucky: he was illegally shot near Flagstaff.
A transnational conservation effort
In a time of a changing climate the Mexican wolf’s natural prey might be drifting ever further north, increasingly drawing wolves out of the areas humans have designated for them. The long-term survival plan centers on establishing several separate sanctuaries, an insurance if one area should be decimated by disease or other disaster. However, a five-year evaluation released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in December 2024 expressed concerns about the Mexican population.
The Endangered Species Act has real teeth; if caught, the hunters who shot Anubis face a 100,000 dollar fine and significant jail time. In Mexico, a combination of less environmental education and less resources has meant that wolves are not offered the same protection. 39 wolf deaths between 2011 and 2023 were classified as human-caused, with poison being the biggest killer. A combination of high mortality and smaller than hoped for release numbers means the Mexican target of 100 wolves living in the wild has not been met.
The wild Mexican wolf population in Mexico itself is optimistically numbered at just under 50, but that number is disputed. As Greta Anderson, deputy director of the non-profit Western Watersheds Project explains, “There are no collared animals alive in Mexico, so any remaining population is total speculation. It’s hard to imagine that there are many animals there— the death rate for collared wolves is so high that it’s hard to imagine uncollared animals are somehow escaping persecution.” There are no immediate plans to change an approach that seems to be working well north of the border. Instead, hope is still placed in continuing to educate local communities and implementing a compensation plan to reimburse farmers for livestock lost to wolves.
Mexican wolves don’t escape politics
Mexico’s wolf problems are shared by the United States. In 2020, the first Trump administration removed most gray wolves from the U.S. endangered species list. Though that decision was vacated by a U.S. District Court in 2022, the Biden administration generally continued the trend of removing protections for wolves. In the coming years the complaints of farmers losing livestock may well expect to receive more favorable hearings. Neither has the success that has been achieved so far come cheaply, and future funding is in doubt.
“I fear we’ll see many attacks on the Endangered Species Act in general, and widespread defunding of programs that address the parallel biodiversity and climate crises,” Greta Anderson told Mexico News Daily. That the Mexican wolf is still with us, and their numbers increasing, is wonderful news, but the battle to save them is far from won.
Bob Pateman is a Mexico-based historian, librarian and a life term hasher. He is editor of On On Magazine, the international history magazine of hashing.
