Wolves Again Released in Arizona

PHOENIX —  Mexican gray wolves were again released into the wilds of Arizona on Friday, jump-starting a reintroduction program’s hopes for success while officials look for ways to protect them from humans.

“Our feeling is wolves are a natural part of the ecosystem. These wolves have come back in numbers that are promising,” said Stephanie Hanna, a spokeswoman for Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. “We’re hopeful that this release will chart a course to a brighter future for these animals.”

Biologists released one pair of wolves south of Alpine in far eastern Arizona on Friday morning and planned to release a second pair before the day’s end.

The two males had been in the wild before. They were initially released in March, but were recaptured several weeks ago to be paired with two new females brought to the Apache National Forest and held in acclimation pens.

One of the females was born at the Phoenix Zoo and the other at the Rio Grande Zoo in Albuquerque. Both were raised at a southern New Mexico ranch funded by media mogul Ted Turner.

The wolves, also called lobos, were driven to near-extinction in the 1970s.

Since wolf reintroduction began this year, the program has been plagued by shooting deaths and related problems.

Of 11 wolves released into the wild during the spring, five were shot to death, one is missing and presumed dead and three others had to be recaptured. Only the two that were re-released Friday remained.

Four of the shooting deaths have not been solved, and Babbitt has said he believes the shootings are acts of sabotage designed to undermine the reintroduction program.

The wolves released Friday were sent out with fluorescent yellow or orange spots on their thighs and fluorescent collars to keep hunters from mistaking them for coyotes, which can be legally shot without a permit.

Barbara Marks, a rancher in the Alpine area, said residents remain resistant to having the wolves in the area.

So far, there have been no confirmed cattle deaths tied to the wolves. But Marks said residents continue to fear the wolves will attack their livestock or pets.