Wolves in Arizona

Arizona is home to the critically endangered Mexican gray wolf ("lobo”), the rarest subspecies of gray wolf in North America. Once found throughout portions of New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and Mexico, the Mexican gray wolf was wiped out in the U.S. by the late 1970s. As of March 2024, at least 257 Mexican gray wolves are living in the mountains of central Arizona and New Mexico. Their path to recovery remains fragile due to critically low population sizes, genetic diversity concerns, poaching, and government-sponsored predator control for the livestock industry.

Arizonans have the power to help save wolves both in Arizona and across the country by supporting strong federal and state endangered species protections. Wolves can’t speak or vote—but we can.

What's at Stake

Gray wolves at risk

Today, gray wolves live in small, fragmented populations, occupying only a fraction of their historical range. The Endangered Species Act has been crucial in protecting them from hunting and trapping. However, in the Northern Rockies, wolves have already lost federal protections, leading to widespread slaughter. New legislation threatens to strip protections from gray wolf populations across the U.S., putting even more wolves at risk.

Legislative threats

Don’t be misled by its name. The Trust the Science Act (H.R. 764/S. 1895) would remove federal protections for gray wolves across the U.S. and prevent courts from overturning the decision. It passed the House and is now in the Senate. Another bill, the Department of the Interior Appropriations Act (H.R. 8998), includes a rider to strip protections from wolves in the lower 48 states. Bills like these keep coming, constantly threatening the future of wolves. We must stay vigilant and use our voices to ensure these dangerous laws never take effect.

Deadly consequences

The removal of federal protections in the Northern Rockies has shifted wolf management to individual states, where laws often cater to trophy hunting interests. In Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, hundreds of wolves are slaughtered each year in brutal trophy hunts. In Wisconsin, when protections were briefly lifted, trophy hunters killed 218 wolves in less than three days. If more wolves lose protections, we could see similar tragedies unfold across the country.

Protect America's wolves

It’s not just gray wolves at risk. Lobos are facing similar legislative threats, while fewer than 20 wild red wolves are known to exist in North Carolina, making them the world’s most endangered wolves. The urgency to protect America’s wolves could not be greater.

Elect to Protect

Now is the time to act—before its too late. Vote for officials who will protect wolves and raise your voice for their future.

Your Elected Officals