Canis lupus baileyi, the Mexican gray wolf, is back in the Madrean Sky Islands of Mexico. The last wild Mexican gray wolves were captured from the Sierra Madre in 1980 in an attempt to preserve this southwestern sub-species, which once was common and roamed from Colorado to central Mexico and over much of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

On Oct. 11th, 2011 5 wolves (2 males and three females) were released in the Sierra San Luis in far northeast Sonora. See more photos from this release here. Participants include Semarnat, Conanp, Conafor, Naturalia, state governments, and academics.

Sept. 12, 2011 - AZ Game and Fish Press Release

PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department has been informed that Mexican authorities plan to release five Mexican wolves this month at an undisclosed ranch location in northeastern Sonora, Mexico.

While the department does not know the specific date or other details at this time, it has received indications that the wolves being released will be fitted with satellite tracking collars.

Game and Fish is currently considering what, if any, impacts this release might have on Arizona’s Mexican wolf conservation and stakeholders. The department will continue to monitor activities related to the planned release and inform constituents as information becomes available.

After half a century's absence of verifiable evidence, there is now a flurry of confirmed ocelots sightings in Arizona! In just over a year period 3 ocelots have surfaced - one road killed near Globe, one camera trap photo from Cochise County, and the last one in Feb. 2011 treed by dogs in the Huachuca Mountains. This latest image, in my opinion, appears to be an older individual and has probably been around for a while.

Perhaps there has been slow recovery of parts of the Sky Island region from better management and the cats have returned. The region was in bad shape in the late 1800's and through the early 1900's. Logging and cattle ranching had decimated wildlife habitat and hunters and trappers killed off most medium and large animals, especially predators like ocelots.

Perhaps global climate change has caused ocelots to move northward as javelina, coati-mundi, and other neo-tropical species have done, although historical records indicate their historical existence in the region.

A massive gunbattle between rival drug and migrant trafficking gangs near the U.S. border Thursday left 21 people dead and at least six others wounded, prosecutors said.

The fire fight occurred in a sparsely populated area about 12 miles from the Arizona border, near the city of Nogales, that is considered a prime corridor for immigrant and drug smuggling.

The Sonora state Attorney General's Office said in a statement that nine people were captured by police at the scene of the shootings, six of whom had been wounded in the confrontation. Eight vehicles and seven weapons were also seized.

Read the full article in USA Today

The state fired a worker Friday for lying to federal investigators about the fact that the U.S.'s last known wild jaguar was lured to his capture and for concocting a cover-up story, officials said.

The employee, Thornton W. Smith, 40, said biologist Emil McCain told him he had put jaguar scat at two sites near the area where Macho B was captured a year ago southwest of Tucson, the Arizona Game and Fish Department revealed late Friday.

We made a different story to protect the department, protect Emil, to protect my association with Emil, about, you know, not leaving jaguar scat, but (tape recording inaudible) ... But you know, I can't live with that. You know I did it."

Read the full story here (AZ Daily Star)