The decline of the Mexican wolf began in the early 20th century when gray wolves became the focus of government-sponsored predator extermination programs. By 1925, few Mexican wolves were left in the U.S.A. By 1950, there were few left in Mexico. The last Mexican wolf recorded in the U.S.A. was in 1970 in New Mexico and Texas. The last Mexican wolf recorded in Mexico was in 1981.

Recovery efforts for Mexican wolves began in 1976. A captive breeding program was established in 1978. Plans were developed to reintroduce the Mexican wolf to the wild in 1982. It took until 1998 to reintroduce the first Mexican wolves to the Blue Range Wolf Recovery area of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico. As of 2008, there were 12 packs living in the wild, many of which were born in the wild. See the following websites for updates on field activities in the recovery area:
www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/
www.azgfd.gov/w_c/es/wolf_reintroduction.shtml

The Living Desert has a large role in Mexican wolf recovery. We coordinate the captive breeding effort within the 47 international zoos, nature centers, and wildlife sanctuaries. The captive population is over 300 animals. The Living Desert is also the keeper of the studbook, a registry of pedigrees for all Mexican wolves ever born in captivity. The Living Desert is also very involved in the planning for Mexican wolf recovery in the wild.