Watch As Mexican Grey Wolf Puppies Are Returned To New Mexico

These beautiful, endangered animals are being returned to the wild in an effort to build their numbers back up.

Mexican Grey wolves are an endangered species with only 241 known wolves living in the wild as of February, 2023.

While their numbers have grown slightly, they remain one of the most endangered mammals in North America and their future is still very uncertain.

These wolves once numbered in the thousands but livestock owners had them labeled a "nuisance" animal and a bounty was placed on them.

The resulting slaughter virtually eliminated them in the USA and hunters were stationed along the border to keep them from coming across from Mexico.

Mexican Grey Wolves Are Endangered.

In 1976, they were declared "endangered" and in 1998, reintroduction programs began in earnest.

In 1976, the Mexican wolf was listed as endangered and a binational captive breeding program was initiated soon after to save this unique gray wolf from extinction. In 1998, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service released the first captive Mexican wolves into the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area in Arizona and New Mexico. Absent from the landscape for over 30 years, the resounding howl of the endangered Mexican wolf could once again be heard in the mountains of the Southwest. - fws.gov

Mexican Grey Wolves Are Far From Out Of Danger.

Thanks to these captive breeding programs and the reintroduction of these beautiful animals to their native areas, the population is, slowly, growing.

Once again, these wolves roam eastern Arizona and western New Mexico but they face many issues, the most dangerous being us.

Regardless of their protected status, people still fear and kill these amazing animals, despite educational campaigns meant to dispel rumors and ease fears.