In the News: Mexican wolf biologists remain vigilant for cross-fostering opportunity
By Haley Ford
PHOENIX, Ariz. (KGUN9-TV )-The Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team is observing the behavior of Mexican wolf packs in the wild for potential cross-fostering opportunities.
Cross-fostering happens by moving young pups from one litter to another similar-age wild litter in hopes that the receiving pack will take the pups in and raise them as their own. The technique shows promise to improve the genetics of the wild wolf population.
According to a media release from Arizona Game and Fish, the key to cross-fostering is timing. The Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team is currently in the process of looking for opportunities to cross-foster wolf pups in the Apache Nation Forest until May 30.
The team of biologists will primarily focus on trying to cross-foster wolves into the Bluestem and Maverick packs, due to their proven ability to successfully adopt the cross-fostered pups.
In February, the Mexican wolf population survey results showed a minimum population of 109 wolves in the wild. Numbers increased from the previous 2013 population survey of 83 wolves.
The reintroduction is a collaborative effort of the Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department, White Mountain Apache Tribe, USDA Forest Service, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service – Wildlife Services, and several participating counties in Arizona.
This story is from KGUN 9 News.
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The wild population needs more wolves to improve its genetic healthy. But only two “new” releases are proposed in the agency’s plan for 2015, even though new rules have greatly expanded the area in which wolves can be released from captivity into the wild. Cross-fostering shows promise but is inadequate to meet the need for genetic rescue of the Mexican wolf population in the wild.
Please take action at this link to get more wolves released from captivity.
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