A Second Victory for Wolves on Same Day
Court Says Claims Against Mexican Wolf Recovery Program Have "No Basis"
(02/01/2005) - Albuquerque, New Mexico -- A U.S. District Court judge in New Mexico has issued a resounding ruling for Mexican wolf recovery efforts, on the same day as a federal judge in Oregon issued a sweeping victory for wolves nationwide. Yesterday, Judge M. Christina Armijo of the District Court for the District of New Mexico found that a complaint filed by several cattle and ranching organizations attacking the Mexican wolf reintroduction program lacked any basis, and dismissed the case. The decision in the Mexican wolf case comes as another federal district court blocked a Bush Administration effort to prematurely weaken protections for the gray wolf and restored federal protections for the species in the lower 48 states, providing a sweeping victory for wolves nationwide."The decision vindicates the hard work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in putting Mexican wolves back in their rightful place – in the forests of the Southwest – and affirms the importance of science, not fear, in this work," said Susan George, Senior Counsel for Defenders of Wildlife. Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity in Pinos Altos, New Mexico agreed: "This is a great day for wolves. This ruling lifts a threat from our lobo populations, and the concurrent nationwide ruling means science and not politics will form the basis for future wolf recovery planning throughout the United States."
In her 66-page opinion on the Mexican wolf program, Judge Armijo found that the claims of the livestock industry litigants lacked any basis in fact. Throughout her lengthy opinion, she reached the same conclusion: "Plaintiffs do not succeed on the merits of their claims…." Plaintiffs had raised several false allegations ranging from wolf hybridization to increased livestock depredation and improper translocation of wolves, none of which was borne out by the evidence.
Mexican wolves were virtually hunted to extinction in the wild during the first half of the 20th century, surviving just in captivity. The current recovery program began with the 1998 reintroduction in the Apache National Forest in Arizona and Gila National Forest in New Mexico, which efforts continue today.
Defenders and the Center for Biological Diversity were represented by Matt Bishop with the Western Environmental Law Center. "We are pleased with the Court’s decision to uphold recovery efforts for a species that is so vital to the West" said Mr. Bishop.
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Contact(s):
Susan George, Defenders of Wildlife, (505) 248-0118Michael Robinson, Center for Biological Diversity, (505) 534-0360
Matt Bishop, Western Environmental Law Center, (505) 751-0351
