By KRWG News
New Mexico – The regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to leave a wolf pack in the wild in southwestern New Mexico, despite the pack killing three cows this month.
The federal agency could remove the wolves.
Erik Ness of the New Mexico Farm and Wildstock Bureau tells KRWG that the federal program to re-introduce wolves is a problem and should end.
Regional Director Benjamin Tuggle ruled Friday in Albuquerque that the Middle Fork Pack is highly valuable genetically to the effort to establish Mexican gray wolves in the wild on the border of Arizona and New Mexico.
Tuggle says the pack's alpha male and female are a breeding pair that are raising at least four pups.
He says removing them could jeopardize the pups' survival.
Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity says the decision is good news for Mexican gray wolves.
Officials with the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association didn't immediately return messages seeking comment.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.