MexicanWolf_Reintroduction_LoBello_Rick_ElPasoTX_8July2022_Reel4119.mp3

Rick LoBello [00:00:00] Well, I'm a strong believer that all the parts of an ecosystem are important and everything is connected.

Rick LoBello [00:00:09] And predators play a very important role as control factors for the prey species that they hunt. And by having predators in the wild, they help to keep the animals in the food chain healthier by their presence, by controlling the sick animals that could possibly have diseases that could spread to other animals, and just helping to prevent overgrazing.

Rick LoBello [00:00:38] And a perfect example is what happened in Yellowstone when the wolf was released there. For years, the elk population had grown to the point where they were overgrazing the stream banks of the rivers in Yellowstone, to the point where plants that used to grow there could no longer grow there, because every time you'd have a willow come up, the elk would eat it.

Rick LoBello [00:01:04] So, as a result of wolves being reintroduced to Yellowstone, a lot of the riparian habitats have been able to come back. And now we're seeing more habitat for animals that at one time were pretty rare, like beaver and songbirds. And so there's been a definite improvement to the biodiversity of Yellowstone as a result of wolves being there.

Rick LoBello [00:01:29] And the same thing can happen in Texas, and it's already happening in Arizona and New Mexico, because the wolf is now living wild in the Gila National Forest, for example.

Rick LoBello [00:01:42] So I really believe that it's important if we're going to conserve the environment, that we do all we can to make sure that the species that were there before we moved into and came upon the land here as European settlers, that we try to restore as much of the ecosystem as we can.

Rick LoBello [00:02:06] So Texas Parks and Wildlife is doing a lot of things like bringing back the desert bighorn, for example. But I really believe that that program is supported more by hunters who want to kill those animals, which I'm not against hunting, but because the wolf is a controversial species, it just hasn't had a chance even to come back to Texas.

Rick LoBello [00:02:33] So, the current thinking is, if we're ever going to bring back the wolf, which is definitely a missing part of the ecosystem in the Chihuahuan Desert, we're going to have to get the political support from Texas Parks and Wildlife. And the only way that's going to happen, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife, is if the stakeholders, like large landowners and ranchers living in West Texas, are willing to collaborate and support such a project.

Rick LoBello [00:03:03] So, currently there's a new organization that formed about a year ago called the Texas Lobo Coalition, and I'm one of the founding members and a board member today. And that's their major focus - bringing together stakeholders and seeing what it will take to get them on board to support some kind of reintroduction of this apex predator.

Rick LoBello [00:03:28] One of the things that I think would happen if you brought back the wolf is the wolf could help to control some of the exotic species that are invasive, and they've taken over many areas of West Texas - European wild boar, which are affecting the lowland and elevation plants in many areas of the Trans-Pecos.

Rick LoBello [00:03:54] And also aoudad are out there, and they compete with native desert bighorn. So I believe that if you brought back wolves, it would help to control some of these invasive species.

Rick LoBello [00:04:07] Also, I believe that having wolves in the ecosystem in West Texas would benefit pronghorn, because one of the predators of pronghorn fawns is the coyote. And everybody knows that when you have wolves and coyotes in the same area, the wolf normally wins because they will kill coyotes. So, if you have a way to control the coyote population in a natural way, it could benefit the pronghorn, which has suffered greatly over the past decade.

Rick LoBello [00:04:41] And there's also diseases that are killing the deer herd. And I believe that a lot of these diseases that are affecting ungulates like mule deer and pronghorn might not be as severe if there was the wolf back in the ecosystem.