The Mexican wolf population in the Southwest now numbers at least 163 animals, marking a 24 percent increase over 2019.
The Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team documented 76 wolves in Arizona and 87 in New Mexico.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation maintains that wolves nationwide should be delisted and subject to management by state agencies just as they manage elk, bears, deer, mountains lions and other wildlife.
(Photo source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/Jim Clark)