HB 366 (“Roxy’s Law”), a bill to prohibit public lands trapping in New Mexico that is currently working its way through the legislature, would be a boon to endangered Mexican gray wolves.
Indiscriminate trapping is proving an enormous impediment for lobos’ uphill battle toward recovery. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service reports that since November 2018, five lobos have fallen victim to traps in New Mexico. One of the wolves, female 1565, died in veterinary care. Another, male 1669, lost a leg. These are wolves the greater population of lobos can’t afford to lose: as of last February, only 114 remained in the wilds of New Mexico and Arizona.
“Trapping takes a tremendous toll on New Mexico—companion animals, native furbearers, and our most imperiled species pay the price for these indiscriminate killing devices,” said Guardians’ Chris Smith. “Public lands and our desert ecosystems cannot bear this burden any longer and it’s time for our elected officials to take action.”
Read the press release.
