Environmental group disagrees with decision to not yet release Mexican Wolf
SOCORRO, N.M. (KRQE) – A female Mexican Wolf, who became famous for traveling long distances, is being kept in captivity until she can breed. The wolf, known as Asha, is currently at a U.S. Fish and Wildlife facility in Socorro.
“The issue is that they need to stop thinking of every wolf as a means to an end to meet their recovery goal,” said Western Watersheds Project Deputy Director Greta Anderson.
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The environmental group spoke out about the decision to keep a female Mexican Wolf in captivity. Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife announced they would not be releasing the three-year-old wolf Asha until she successfully breeds. The environmental groups said it’s not right.
“The thing is she’s an individual animal who deserves her freedom. She is a wild animal that they’re keeping in captivity for the sake of breeding, but wolves play an important ecological role on the landscape too,” stated Anderson.
Asha became well known after she left her federal government-designated land, located south of I-40 in New Mexico, in January 2023. The boundary is called the Mexican Wolf Experimental Project Area, which is meant to monitor the wolf population. She was caught and moved back to Arizona, but in October, she was roaming outside the area again.
“She’s clearly shown that she has this adventurous instinct in her,” stated Western Watersheds Project Arizona and New Mexico Director Cyndi Tuell.
Asha was seen traveling near the San Pedro Mountains and the Valles Caldera National Preserve, Fish and Wildlife then captured her, saying it was to ensure her safety. The plan was to release her this year, but since she hasn’t bred, the plans have changed. Advocates with the Western Watersheds Project said it’s unfair to Asha, adding that confining her to a small space could hurt her physical abilities to travel far.
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“What they really need to do is adjust the management boundaries, so that they allow more flexibility and let the wolves show us what they want instead of forcing them into the model of what humans want,” expressed Anderson.
If you’d like to learn more about the Western Watersheds Project, you can visit their website.
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