U.S. officials plan to release Mexican wolves in New Mexico this year despite the state's opposition.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Monday posted a plan to its website saying it intends to release a pack of wolves in the state and place pups born in captivity into a wild pack to improve the population's genetic diversity.
The agency and the New Mexico Game Commission wrangled over bureaucratic issues for months before the commission denied the federal government permission to release the wolves in New Mexico.
The wildlife service says its authority trumps that of the state and plans to carry on with the program.
Game Commissioner Bob Ricklefs says the commission has no official reaction yet but was expecting the move.
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