CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – The Mexican gray wolf is a major wildlife issue for western New Mexico as herds steadily grow.
For years, most of the debate over the endangered wolf has centered in Catron County, the Gila National Forest and eastern Arizona. But recent wolf movement near Mount Taylor and livestock deaths reported near the Catron-Cibola County line have brought the issue closer to Cibola County residents, ranchers and public land users.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that the wild Mexican gray wolf population reached at least 319 wolves in Arizona and New Mexico by the end of 2025. Of those, 176 were counted in New Mexico. The population has grown steadily since wolves were reintroduced in 1998, when only a handful were released into the wild.
That growth is being celebrated by conservation groups as one of the region’s most important endangered species recovery efforts. Mexican gray wolves were nearly eliminated from the wild by the 1970s, and today’s population traces back to a small captive breeding program. Supporters say the wolf’s return is helping restore a native predator to the Southwest.
But for ranching communities, the recovery has brought real concern.
In April, Catron County officials warned residents of several livestock deaths confirmed as caused by Mexican wolves in northern Catron County near the Cibola County line. The county said the most recent attack resulted in the death of a ranch horse and that some attacks were occurring within 100 to 200 yards of homes. Officials urged livestock owners to report unexplained animal deaths to investigators.
That warning matters for Cibola County because rural communities here share the same landscape, roads, grazing country and wildlife corridors. Wolves do not know county lines, and recent movement around Mount Taylor shows that some Mexican wolves are willing to travel far beyond the traditional recovery area.
One wolf, known by conservationists as “Taylor,” repeatedly crossed Interstate 40 and returned to the Mount Taylor area after being relocated. Conservation groups have urged federal officials to allow wolves to roam north of I40, arguing that broader movement is needed for genetic diversity and longterm recovery.
Ranchers and livestock groups see the issue differently. They are asking for better information about wolf locations, stronger responses to livestock losses and more flexibility when wolves become a threat to animals near homes.