Protections for Mexican gray wolf under scrutiny by Cochise County leaders

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - Cochise County officials have been hearing public concerns about federal protection of the Mexican gray wolf.

They heard two hours of testimony from almost 50 members of the public. A resolution that calls for changes to include state management of the wolf is likely in a few weeks.

Beyond state game and fish taking over management of this species, ranchers want full compensation for cattle killed by the wolf, which board chair Frank Antenori said was the promise almost three decades ago when its reintroduction program started in 1998.

The endangered Mexican gray wolf has grown to the hundreds since reintroduction started, but whether its numbers are too much or not enough depended on which side was speaking to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday night.

“Cochise County does not have the prey base to support packs of wolves,” William M. Riggs IV told the board during its special session.

“These actions are not geared toward coexisting with wildlife; instead, they’re geared toward the self-serving goals of private businesses who want to be able to kill wolves in order to make a profit,” Cyndi Tuell, Arizona and New Mexico director for Western Watersheds Project said during her time in front of the board.

“The ranchers probably wouldn’t be as angry and as anti-wolf as they are right now but because they’ve been sort of screwed over for lack of a better term, I don’t blame them one bit for being upset,” said Frank Antenori, chair of the Cochise County Board of Supervisors.

Antenori said the board will consider a resolution that calls for state management of the Mexican gray wolf, full compensation to cattle ranchers for losses to wolves, and a lower threshold of proof for a wolf kill.

Right now, bite marks are required, but sometimes the cow is hauled away by the predator. But a down-listing to threatened is more likely than a de-listing, and it allows for continued management.

“Not everybody is going to get what they want but if we can at least get the ranchers the due compensation and the consideration for what they’ve incurred and then again maybe restrict the recovery area and manage the wolves in that recovery area, that would be, to me, a good outcome,” Antenori said.

The recovery area would be moved out of Cochise County. And Arizona Game and Fish could allow a hunt for a wolf that poses problems to ranchers. That’s the concept as both sides express their concerns.

“Cochise County historically, through my family, talking to the older generations, never had packs of wolves,” Riggs said.

“I encourage the supervisors to do more to help the ranchers coexist with these wolves and learn about the funding that’s available to them and to ask the state and federal government to fully fund the compensation programs,” Tuell said.

If approved in early June, the resolution would go to the state legislature as well as the federal Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture.

Antenori said that the Cochise County attorney has also been directed to explore a class-action lawsuit with other counties to sue the federal government for these changes.

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