The American Southwest is a region a stark mountains, arid grasslands and vast deserts, yet it harbors an amazing variety of plants and animals. Unfortunately, among the animals we can no longer find the Mexican wolf, el lobo, the smallest wolf subspecies, which formerly flourished from the southwestern United States to southern Mexico. As cattle ranching expanded, the Mexican wolf declined, poisoned or shot as a threat to livestock. Although a few wild members of this vanishing race may still survive in remote parts of Mexico, there have been no recent sightings. The survival of this subspecies will therefore depend on the successful release of captive-bred wolves into safe wilderness. - Robert Bateman