Major changes could be in store for the decades-long project to reintroduce Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest.
The latest count of the endangered animals showed at least 319 in the wild, which approaches the goals listed in the species’ recovery plan.
The minimum number of wild Mexican wolves grew by 33 last year and 2025 was the 10th consecutive year the population has increased.
Wildlife officials say that consistent growth means they’re nearing a new phase of recovery.
If there’s an average of 320 wolves in the wild over four years, the state’s recovery plan says the species could be downlisted within the Endangered Species Act.
“Downlisting is seen as an intermediary step that allows some additional flexibility, and recognizes the success that has been achieved,” says Arizona Game and Fish Department Mexican Wolf Program Manager Jim deVos. “We think that the clock may have started tolling, particularly with the 319 this year.”
But wolf advocacy groups like the Center for Biological Diversity say the state’s criteria isn't based in science and doesn't align with federal law.
“It’s inspiring that there are now hundreds of Mexican wolves in the Southwest, especially considering there were zero roaming the wild just three decades ago,” says Michael Robinson with the center. “The big danger is that politics will strip these still-imperiled wolves of their Endangered Species Act protections before they’re truly recovered.”
Conservationists say downlisting would remove some safeguards for the species, and a lack of genetic diversity still poses a significant challenge to long-term recovery.
Mexican gray wolves were almost driven to extinction before reintroduction efforts began in 1998.
