Wolves among us

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LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Today is Thursday, October 30th.

Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Lindsay Mast.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: Mexican wolves. They’ve been on the endangered species list since 1976. But in the nearly five decades since, their numbers have grown.

MAST: And now the wolves are causing problems for both people and livestock. WORLD Senior Writer Kim Henderson went to New Mexico to find out what’s happening. Here’s the second of her two reports.

MCQUEEN: We are headed just south of Datil to a rancher’s place who's been hit really hard this year with the wolves . . .

KIM HENDERSON: That’s Audrey McQueen. She’s a big game hunting guide and nine-time world champion elk caller. McQueen is also a New Mexico rancher through and through. She’s as comfortable driving a goose-neck trailer loaded with six tons of feed as she is this brand new Suburban.

MCQUEEN: I love the mountains, I love the people, I love the wildlife. Our way of life is very simple, and so I love it.

But McQueen says her way of life is being threatened by Mexican wolves, an endangered species. That’s why she’s come to this meeting between a group of ranchers and officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

SOUND: [Sound of cow moos]

The meeting is outdoors, smack dab in the middle of a dry, dusty pasture. Things are getting a bit contentious.

RANCHER: All I want is the freedom to tend to my private land without looking over my shoulder.

Ranchers are in the business to feed people, but they’re losing cattle to Mexican wolves.

RANCHER: We are the epicenter right here. Seven head in five months. Not even five months…

Historically, Christian conservationists have viewed the Endangered Species Act as a tool for protecting God’s creation. But in this case, it's an apex predator we’re talking about, not a spotted owl or a minnow. The government’s effort to increase the number of wolves in the wild has succeeded. Packs have increased, and now cattle and horses are dying from wolf attacks.

And there’s another issue. The wolves don’t seem to have a natural fear of people. Audrey McQueen says they’ve become bold. Residents are afraid.

MCQUEEN: Kids used to be able to play till all hours of the night. People used to walk wherever they wanted. I mean, that's changed completely.

McQueen is a commissioner in Catron County. Catron County is a hot spot for the Mexican wolf reintroduction program. It’s home to more than 100 wolves.

MCQUEEN: In our commission meetings, it's usually always an hour of time ate up with the wolf stuff. Catron County has really got a plague right now that's hurting us.

Catron County Extension Agent Tracy Drummond agrees.

DRUMMOND: I mean, if it's so important for the wolf to be here for somebody else from somewhere else, why do the people here have to carry the brunt of that burden?

NEWS CLIP: That resolution is to declare an emergency in Catron County…

In April, Catron County declared a disaster because of the wolves.

MCQUEEN: We listened to, like, three hours of testimony from the people. And after hearing that, we decided, even though we do have a livestock issue, we have a huge human safety issue.

But Wolf advocate Bryan Bird thinks the declaration was a political move.

BIRD: Unfortunately, the Mexican gray wolf has kind of become a litmus test for your politics, your value system. Due to the current administration, the presidential administration, being more sympathetic, there's a movement to sort of gin up this fear of the wolves…

Some of the ranchers have banded together to push a media campaign against the wolves.

AUDIO: [MEDIA CAMPAIGN CLIP]

The ranchers say they just want the right to protect themselves and their property. But killing a Mexican wolf is strictly forbidden, with criminal penalties of up to $50,000 dollars and a year in jail.

SOUND: [Group at meeting]

Back at the meeting in the middle of the dusty pasture, something unexpected has happened. The federal official agreed to provide a removal order for the rancher who’s lost so many cattle. Those orders are rare. They give the rancher the right to take care of the problem-causing wolf.

Audrey McQueen is surprised. And encouraged.

MCQUEEN: I mean, we'll see if it gets done. I think it will. But that was a win.

But even a removal order can’t solve the problem. The rancher has spent weeks trying to find the wolves that killed his calf. He hasn’t seen them again.

So the battle continues between ranchers and the Mexican wolf. And the question remains: Whose rights should prevail?

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kim Henderson in Datil, New Mexico.

REICHARD: To read the full print feature story on the Mexican wolves, look for the November issue of WORLD Magazine. We’ll post a link to the digital version of the story in the transcript of this episode.

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