Federal Agency Agrees to Deadline on Mexican Wolf

A federal judge in Arizona has approved a settlement requiring the government to issue a finding within the next two months on a petition that seeks to list the Mexican gray wolf on the federal endangered species list.

Petitions submitted by animal rights groups in August argue that listing the Mexican gray wolf separately from other North American gray wolves is biologically warranted and legally required.

WildEarth Guardians brought litigation in federal court Jan. 19 in an effort to force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to issue a finding. The settlement was filed May 7, and a federal judge signed an order approving it Wednesday.

A spokesman for the FWS says the agency expects to issue the finding by the July 31 deadline.

Reprinted in part from Associated Press