Endangered Mexican gray wolves still face threat despite growing population numbers

Environmentalist groups warn a threat still remains to the endangered Mexican grey wolf despite a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey showing growing population numbers.

While it marks the eighth straight year the population has increased, environmentalists say the higher number is not necessarily a positive development. They contend that it means only that the genetic crisis among Mexican gray wolves will get harder to fix as the population grows.

"The agencies will claim this new benchmark shows a trajectory to success, but they aren’t measuring the indicators of genetic diversity which must be addressed with improved policies around adult and family group releases," Greta Anderson, deputy director of Western Watersheds Project, said in a statement.