BISBEE, Ariz. (KVOA) – Cochise County has adopted a resolution opposing the current implementation of the Mexican Gray Wolf reintroduction program.

The resolution passed unanimously with a 3-0 vote on Tuesday and calls for reforms to the program, mainly that ranchers be fully compensated when their livestock is killed by wolves.

The board is also supporting the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Range Rider Program, which allows rangers to chase off wolves who are too close to cattle. 

This past May, Cochise County residents and ranchers gathered for a meeting at City Hall in Bisbee to voice their concerns over the Mexican Gray Wolf population in the area and the impact they were having on livestock. 

According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the Mexican Gray Wolf used to be abundant in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. But it was nearly gone by the 1970’s. A reintroduction program was started in 1998.Â