Rancher Testifies on Mexican Wolf Delisting in House Hearing
September 5, 2025
This week the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held a hearing on the Enhancing Safety for Animals Act of 2025 that would delist the Mexican wolf under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Arizona Cattle Growers' Association (ACGA), New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association (NMCGA), and Public Lands Council (PLC) all support passage of this critical bill. NMCGA President-Elect Tom Paterson testified in support of this bill and described how burdensome the federal management restrictions for the Mexican wolf have become.
“Rural communities are currently facing the grave consequences from an apex predator that should be delisted. Due to past management focused principally on population numbers, we no longer just have a livestock crisis with Mexican wolves. Mexican wolves now stalk local kids and the elderly, snatch and kill cats and dogs off front porches in town and even kill our kids’ horses. Wolves are a constant presence around our homes and school yards. Our residents are reluctant to walk in the woods because of wolves,” said NMCGA President-Elect Tom Paterson. “Mexican wolves have also killed my cattle, causing severe economic stress to our operation and to other producers. Thank you to the Subcommittee members for considering this critical legislation and to Congressman Paul Gosar for introducing it.”
The Mexican wolf is listed under the Endangered Species Act as a 10(J) experimental population. The federal protections that come with that listing have made it incredibly hard to manage this abundant apex predator. Mexican wolf populations have skyrocketed in New Mexico and Arizona, while established science also shows that this species is recovered and should be managed with more complete tools to protect the future of the wolf in the ecosystem as well as surrounding communities.
“Millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent to recover a species that is wreaking havoc on communities that already have to deal with intense weather conditions and other natural resource challenges. The problem is worsening. There were more confirmed depredations in Arizona and New Mexico during the first six months of 2025 than there were in all of 2024. We need to pass H.R.4255 to give local law enforcement and ranchers the tools they need to properly manage around overpopulated wolf packs, without endless government red tape,” said NCBA Executive Director of Natural Resources and PLC Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover. “The U.S. government has better uses for tax dollars than feeding recovered wolves from food caches and then shooing them away. Ranchers across the West commend this Subcommittee and Rep. Gosar for standing with them and working to bring relief to these impacted communities.”
Source: NCBA
