Republicans in the U.S. House introduced a bill to remove the Mexican gray wolf from the endangered species list.
Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar championed the bill.
He says wolves prey on livestock and create financial losses for ranchers.
Gosar also says the recovery program has created a stable population of wolves that no longer need protection.
Neither Gosar nor co-sponsor Eli Crane’s office responded to KNAU’s request for an interview.
Ranchers and farmers applaud the proposed legislation, but environmental and conservation groups quickly condemned it.
Greta Anderson is with the Western Watersheds Project.
“If it were true that Mexican wolves were stable and no longer needed Endangered Species Act protection, they would be delisted under the terms of the Endangered Species Act itself," Anderson says. "If they want to pull it off before it's fully recovered, then they're aiming towards extinction."
Anderson adds that ranchers are compensated for livestock killed by wolves.
Mexican wolves have been listed as endangered since 1976.
Today nearly 300 roam Arizona and New Mexico.
