The Center for Biological Diversity has sued Fish and Wildlife in the past over the wolves' management, contending orders to permanently remove or kill individual animals are compromising the species' genetic diversity.

Wednesday's petition said the lack of an adequate recovery plan and the "unsustainable rate" of removing wolves from the wild stand in the way of recovery.

The reintroduction program had predicted a self-sustaining wild population of 100 wolves by now, but there were 52 as of the last official count in January — seven fewer than in the previous year. Fish and Wildlife, which conducts one count of wild wolves each year, said the number has fluctuated since with deaths, births and removals.

The petitioners said the Mexican gray wolf is not on a trajectory toward recovery.

The population has fallen far short of reintroduction goals, said Dave Parsons, former Mexican wolf recovery coordinator for Fish and Wildlife and now carnivore conservation biologist for The Rewilding Institute.

"We could lose the lobo in the wild for a second time if my former agency doesn't get serious about recovery," he said.

On the Net:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/

WildEarth Guardians: www.wildearthguardians.org/
Center for Biological Diversity: www.biologicaldiversity.org