Mexican Gray Wolf

Mexican gray wolves are at the heart of a lawsuit by environmentalist groups against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The groups said the federal government failed to create a valid recovery plan for the wolves for decades. So they’re demanding that a workable recovery plan be developed for the endangered wolves and that the court monitor compliance.

The groups include Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Endangered Wolf Center and the Wolf Conservation Center.

Wolf reintroduction in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico has been controversial over the years, with heated disputes between ranchers and conservationists. The Fish and Wildlife Service did not respond to this most recent legal challenge.