North America’s smallest and rarest wolves will finally have the full protection of the Endangered Species Act. Well, almost.
Mexican gray wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) nearly went extinct 40 years ago. After decades of hunting and persecution the last five wild members of the subspecies were rounded up in 1973 and placed in an emergency captive breeding program. There they remained until 1998, when the first of a series of highly controlled releases took place in Arizona, followed by later releases in New Mexico.