25
Sep
Press Release: 7 Mexican Wolves return to free life
The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas announces the release of a family group of 7 specimens of the Mexican gray wolf subspecies.
The release is the result of the joint effort of the CONANP, the General Directorate of Wildlife, the Autonomous University of Querétaro, ITZENI AC Environmental Solutions, the UMA Buenavista del Cobre, and cattlemen of the region.
Before the release, a behavioral evaluation was applied, in which it was determined that they did not present stereotypical or aberrant behavior and were ready for their life in freedom.
The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), announces the release of a family group of 7 specimens of the Mexican gray wolf subspecies ( Canis lupus baileyi ), composed of the mother, a female with 27 kg of weight and 10 years of age; the father with 25 kg and 5 years, as well as his five puppies of four months, born on May 4 in the Wildlife Management and Use Unit (UMA), Buenavista del Cobre, of Grupo México.
Specialist of the Autonomous University of Querétaro, applied a behavioral evaluation to the 7 copies, in which it was observed that they did not present behaviors that could compromise their survival in free life. Thus, with the validation of the Department of Fish and Wildlife of the United States, it was concluded that they were ready to be released, because the behavior of the family group was adequate, however the challenges to face in free life are difficult to evaluate in conditions of captivity.
Parents were fitted with satellite telemetry collars to monitor their activity and movement, and have an adequate follow-up of the herd.
As in the previous releases, this means the fulfillment of one of the main commitments established by the Action Program for the Conservation of the Species (PACE): Gray Mexican Wolf, of the CONANP.
In Mexico, the Mexican gray wolf is listed in NOM 059 SEMARNAT 2010, as a subspecies probably extinct in the wild (E). For this reason, the reproduction and release of these specimens acquires great ecological and symbolic relevance, because it represents the advances achieved, both in the recovery of emblematic species, and in the conservation of the country’s biodiversity.
Today, the number of individuals in free life (in Mexico) amounts to more than 30 individuals. The Mexican wolf is a subspecies genetically distinct from the gray wolf (Canis lupus), and is considered worldwide as the population of wolves at greater risk of extinction. Their body measurements vary between 130 cm to 180 cm in length, their height goes from 60 to 80 cm and the average body weight is 33 kg in males and 27 kg in females.
Read the Press Release HERE.
