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Group alleges political meddling in wolf program

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Published June 9, 2012 12:23am ET
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Group alleges political meddling in wolf program
FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011 file photo, a female Mexican gray wolf looks to avoid being captured for its annual vaccinations and medical checkup at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico. A watchdog group has filed a complaint alleging that key scientific findings on what is required to return the endangered Mexican gray wolf to the American Southwest have been altered due to political pressure. The wolf restoration effort has been hampered over the past 14 years by illegal shootings, courtroom battles and complaints by environmentalists and ranchers about the way the program is managed. The complaint filed Thursday by Public Employees for Environmental Responsbility has sparked a call from one Arizona congressman for the Interior Department to conduct a "full and fair investigation." There are at least 58 wolves in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico.(AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File) | Susan Montoya Bryan

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The effort to return the Mexican gray wolf to the American Southwest has been fraught with legal disputes, illegal shootings, livestock deaths and emotion. Now a watchdog group is questioning the integrity of key scientific findings related to the endangered animal’s recovery.

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