US wildlife officials aim to address illegal wolf killings

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Prompted by a court order, federal wildlife managers have issued a new draft plan for managing Mexican gray wolves in the Southwestern U.S. The changes aim to address illegal killings of the endangered predators through education, outreach and other means. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently reported that the Mexican wolf population marked another year of growth but that illegal killings are among the factors that have tempered that growth. Meanwhile, managers also struggle to curb wolf-livestock conflicts. Ranchers in Arizona and New Mexico say wolves are killing cattle despite efforts to scare the animals away from their herds.