/ Modified oct 17, 2019 8:55 a.m.

Groups: Saving Mexican gray wolves requires new approach

Management of the endangered predators in the Southwest requires some rethinking, environmental groups say.

Mexican Gray Wolf hero A Mexican Gray Wolf pads through brush near a chain link fence.
Clark Jim, USFWS

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Dozens of environmental groups and scientists are asking U.S. wildlife managers to rethink how they plan to ensure the survival of Mexican gray wolves in the American Southwest.

Following a loss in federal court, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working on crafting a new rule to guide management of the endangered predators in New Mexico and Arizona.

The coalition says that rule should be based on "an entirely new approach" that incorporates the best science while acknowledging the recovery effort's past shortcomings.

The groups on Wednesday sent a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and federal wildlife managers.

They're asking that the process to revise the management rule be public and that a wide range of alternatives be considered since the program has faltered over the years.

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