Lesson 10:Saving the Mexican Wolves

The Endangered Species ActThe Endangered Species Act was signedin 1973. This law protects plants and animalsthat are in danger of becoming extinct. It alsoprotects the habitats in which these specieslive. More than 1,800 plants and animals arelisted as endangered.A small group of dedicated people decided to try to bringthe Mexican wolf back to its original habitat. Fortunately, asmall group of wild wolves was still living in a remote region ofMexico. After the Mexican wolf was listed as an endangeredspecies in 1976, five of those wolves were trapped and broughtto the United States. The wolves, along with some others thathad already been captured, were bred in captivity. Now scientistsbelieve that without this breeding program, the Mexicanwolf would probably have become extinct.The captive breeding program was only the first step. TheEndangered Species Act also calls for the recovery of endangeredspecies. This means that not only must the population besaved from extinction—it also must be returned to its naturalhabitat. But after people had nearly wiped out these animals,would they be willing to see the Mexican wolf reintroduced?How could wolves and humans possibly exist together?10