Arizona Lawmakers Debate Bill to Limit Mexican Gray Wolf Protection Efforts
Agent
Benson Republican Pushes to Bar Arizona From Transporting Wolf Puppies
PHOENIX — Arizona Republican Rep. Lupe Diaz has introduced legislation that would restrict the state's ability to participate in Mexican gray wolf recovery efforts, drawing sharp criticism from Democrats and conservation advocates who say the measure undermines science and conservation goals.
Senate Bill 1280, which cleared both chambers of the legislature, would bar the Arizona Game and Fish Department from transporting gray wolf puppies into the state and prevent the commission from using its own resources to accomplish that purpose.
"Little Red Riding Hood understood that this is a predator that we're dealing with," Rep. Diaz told colleagues this week. "The whole story of Little Red Riding Hood is that this predator's going to get you," he said as the Republican-controlled House gave preliminary approval to the measure.
Diaz argued that communities in northeast Arizona and northwest New Mexico have built "cages" to protect children against wolf attacks, suggesting the state should limit cooperation with federal wolf restoration efforts.
Democrats and Conservationists Point to Genetic Diversity Concerns
Democratic lawmakers and conservation advocates pushed back against the proposal, pointing to the endangered species status of the Mexican gray wolf and the genetic challenges facing the population.
Tucson Democratic Rep. Nancy Gutierrez told colleagues that bringing in more pups raised in captivity is essential for obtaining the genetic diversity needed to remove the wolf from federal protections.
"It is only by bringing in more pups raised in captivity that there is a chance to get the genetic diversity to remove the wolf from federal protections," Gutierrez said.
The debate centered on the current population size and genetic health of Arizona's wolf population. Arizona Game and Fish Department lobbyist Ed Sanchez testified that there are 124 Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and 162 in New Mexico, with population goals on track to reach 320.
However, Rosalind Switzer, a volunteer for Great Old Broads for Wilderness, told lawmakers that due to capture, poaching and removal, all of the wolves now in Arizona can trace their lineage back to just seven pairs.
"Wolves in the wild are related like siblings," Switzer said. "Avoiding health and reproductive issues that arise from inbreeding is of the utmost importance."
She said that's where pups raised in captivity elsewhere come in, being placed in dens with wild wolves to add genetic diversity.
No Documented Attacks on Humans, Though Wolves Target Cattle
Much of the debate turned on whether wolves pose a danger to humans. Sandy Bahr of the Sierra Club told lawmakers she has never heard of a wolf attack on a human, though she acknowledged that wolves will attack cattle.
The Arizona Livestock Board has a program to provide compensation for confirmed wolf kills and grants to help ranchers implement non-lethal methods to prevent attacks.
Republican Rep. Gail Griffin of Hereford countered that in southern Arizona there is no prey bait except for cattle, kids and animals, suggesting wolves would naturally target livestock.
Cameron Democratic Rep. Mae Peshlakai, who has lived in the Grand Canyon area all her life, disputed Diaz's claims about wolf danger.
"And I have never been attacked by anything out there," Peshlakai said. "They're well-behaved animals. They're scared of human beings. And they will not attack anything that doesn't attack them."
Federal Efforts and State Cooperation Complicated
Strictly speaking, nothing in SB 1280 would bar Game and Fish from working with federal agencies to try to restore a sustainable population of wolves in Arizona.
Sanchez said that except on rare occasions, his agency isn't directly involved with transportation. Once genetic diversity and population goals are met, the Mexican wolf will be delisted and managed by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
"Why wouldn't we want to maintain the current flexibility to occasionally deploy resources to ensure population and genetic diversity goals to ensure that delisting will occur sooner rather than later?" Sanchez asked.
Diaz argued the current population of 268 wolves is sufficient, saying there's no basis for claims that numbers need to reach 320 to be self-sustaining.
"We don't have to expand the program anymore," Diaz said.
Republican Congressman Pushes to Delist Wolf
The debate over Arizona's role in preserving the Mexican gray wolf comes against the backdrop of a proposal by Arizona Republican Congressman Paul Gosar to delist the wolf, prohibit the federal government from releasing wolves from captive breeding programs into the wild, and eliminate federal prohibitions on killing wolves.
"Lawsuits filed by extremist environmental groups have prevented the Mexican wolf from being delisted nationally, even though the Mexican wolf was released into Arizona and New Mexico as part of an experimental program," Gosar said in a prepared statement.
Gosar noted that the original target was to have 100 wild wolves in the area, and that the wolf is now stable and should be delisted.
"Now a stable population, the wolf is no longer in danger of extinction and should be delisted," Gosar said.
Sanchez said that if Gosar's measure becomes law, it would be up to the state to decide what to do with the Mexican gray wolf and whether to maintain its own programs to have a stable population.
"It could be where, like other wildlife, the Game and Fish Department would take responsibility for those wolves going forward," Sanchez said.
Sources
- https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2026/04/08/arizona-bill-aims-to-limit-wolf-restoration-efforts/
- https://tucson.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/article_e07949ec-89a5-4b32-acdb-92aff943697a.html
- https://www.myheraldreview.com/news/cochise_county/diaz-cites-little-red-riding-hood-in-push-to-limit-arizona-wolf-reintroduction/article_6f8b223c-c85f-4e75-9a71-d451d32cc6ce.html