The Wolf in the Southwest: The Making of an Endangered Species [Paperback]

David E. Brown (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1983

The premier predatory animal in the Southwest, and certainly the most controversial, the wolf came to grips with European settlement, particularly the livestock industry, and lost. First in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, and finally in Old Mexico, the southwestern wolf was driven to extirpation; ironically, the last wolves were hunted down not long before the advent of laws—and a conservation ethic—that could have saved them. Drawing on reports of the U.S. government’s former Office of Predatory Animal and Rodent Control (PARC), and from accounts of wolf hunters themselves, David E. Brown has compiled the history of the wolf’s elimination. Included is a complete documentation of the eradication program, fascinating stories of the last few wolves that eluded hunters, and information on wolf biology from those who best knew its habits.

Since its first publication in 1983, The Wolf in the Southwest has proven itself as the single most valuable and informative reference to Canis lupus of the Mexican borderlands. Now, the descendents of the last wolves captured in Mexico once again roam portions of wilderness in New Mexico and Arizona. With reintroduction, this second edition contains a new Preface and Epilogue by David E. Brown, and a new Foreword by author and biologist Harley Shaw. Once again there are wolves in the woods, and just as in the days of the pioneers, people are taking sides. Love him or hate him, the wolf is again making history, and The Wolf in the Southwest is back in print.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 195 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Arizona Pr (March 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816507961
• ISBN-13: 978-0816507962
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,741,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Brown practices law in the Monterey, California area, where he has represented both landlords and tenants in hundreds of court cases -- most of which he felt could have been avoided if both sides were more fully informed about landlord/tenant law. Brown, a graduate of Stanford University (chemistry) and the University of Santa Clara Law School, also teaches law at the Monterey College of Law and is the author of Fight Your Ticket (CA version), Beat Your Ticket (the national version), The Landlord's Law Book, Vol. 1: Rights and Responsibilities; The Landlord's Law Book, Vol. 2: Evictions and co-author of How to Change Your Name in California and The Guardianship Book for California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wolf In The Southwest, October 9, 2002

By 

Jeff Brent Federal Wildlife Biologist (Salem, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wolf in the Southwest: The Making of an Endangered Species (Paperback)

As always, David Brown's revised edition of The Wolf In The Southwest, meets the highest standards in wildlife writing! This updated version is the 'cornerstone' of information on the history of the Mexican Gray Wolf in the southwest, and has practical insight included for the wolf's current status in Arizona and New Mexico. It is an unbiased, factual representation of historic gray wolf management and biology, and a valuable resource on this large carnivore, which once again roams the manificently rugged Arizona-New Mexico border country.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Dramatic Reminder, October 19, 2002

By 

"ecobeetle" (Burnaby) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wolf in the Southwest: The Making of an Endangered Species (Paperback)

The distant howl of the wolf seems at home alongside campfires under a brilliant moon. The echoes of those cries ring with loneliness and pain. They are forever linked with the wildest of the wild, nature untouched and pure. The Southwestern U.S. to Mexico is a wild and natural area, but far from untouched and pristine wilderness areas. Moon-filled nights are no longer punctuated by the wolf's plaintive calls due to a century of persecution that eliminated all species of wolf from the South West. With the attempts to reintroduce wild packs and the subsequent controversy regarding this issue a new edition of the David E. Brown's brilliant `The Wolf in the Southwest - The Making of an Endangered Species' has been released by High Lonesome Books. Originally published in 1983, `The Wolf in the Southwest' documents the fervor to rid the wolf from the wilds of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas from the late 19th century until the late 1970's. David E. Brown has painstakingly researched his book from decades of archival records documenting the plight of the southwest cattlemen. These ranchers whose heavy losses to cattle depredation lead to a government sanctioned declaration of war on all predators. It is a grimly fascinating tale of the sad history of the wolf in the southwest. David E. Brown's `The Wolf in the Southwest' is the definitive resource on the various species of southwestern wolf, covering their biology, territory and first hand descriptive accounts of their place within their historical environment. These coincide with various trapper reports, techniques and encounters. Thorough and complete with many historical photos and documents, David E. Brown brings this shortsighted era to life. `The Wolf in the Southwest - The Making of an Endangered Species' is a bitter read for it eulogizes, not celebrates the wolf. A dramatic reminder of how destructive the world was and still is and how once we set foot in pristine natural areas we slowly begin to lose them.