The Wolf & The Wall… A Love Story

This is a story of a wolf named Mr. Goodbar, a Mexican grey wolf in a pack out of eastern Arizona. In the fall of 2021, Mr. Goodbar began his journey in search of a mate. Heading southeast into the Chihuahuan Desert through mountain ranges and valleys in a vast grassland, his tracker showed the exact route from beginning to end for this young wolf. Mr. Goodbar nearing 2-years old, made it through Las Cruces, New Mexico around November 22. Once nearing the East Potrillo Mountains, the southern most part of New Mexico near the border. As the wolf neared the borderline, an obstacle he had never seen before was now there… The U.S. & Mexico border wall. A 30-foot-high border with 4-inch gaps.

Mr. Goodbar spent 5 days traveling against the wall, on occasion changing directions. After days, and around 23 miles to the west, the wolf ended his venture and headed back North to his pack. Fish & Wildlife Service tracked the full journey of Mr. Goodbar. Michael Robinson, a biologist at the Center for Biological Diversity in Arizona, said, “ I wasn’t surprised it happened, because we’d predicted it… I was bummed out". Aislinn Maestas, a Fish & Wildlife Service agent said, “Sucessfull dispersal between the populations has the potential to benefit population genetics, but the recovery of the Mexican wolf can be achieved without successful dispersal as we are utilizing releases from captivity to address genetic needs.”

Mr. Goodbar, now in the Gila National Forest, only miles from the area he started his original journey. This story in now way supports anti-borders. All in all the point of this blog is… can we please find Mr. Goodbar a lady?!