Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico could see their federal protections change after President Trump ordered a 90-day review of their status under the Endangered Species Act. The Sept. 4 order directs the Interior Department to determine whether Mexican wolves have met the recovery criteria for being downlisted or removed from the endangered species list. If officials determine the criteria have been met, the department must begin that process. The order itself does not remove their protections. Arizona Game & Fish initially reported a minimum of 319 Mexican wolves at the end of 2025, up from 286 the year before. A later July agency update cited 317 wolves in the 2025 mid-winter count, which is also the figure used in AZFamily’s latest reporting. The current recovery criteria call for an average of 320 wolves per year over four years to support downlisting, a benchmark Arizona Game & Fish said had not yet been reached in February. The issue has become a major debate in...