Poll shows Support for Wolves, ALSO that wolf management and are ranching are OK
posted at Wolf Crossing [here]
Commissioned by organizations such as the Re-Wildling Institute, Arizona Zoological Society, New Mexico Audubon Council, and the Southwest Environmental Center and conducted by Research & Polling, Inc., one of the Southwest’s largest full-service market research and public opinion research companies, a recent poll seeking support for Mexican wolves among Arizona and New Mexico voters had some interesting results.
Most telling is the fact that the vast majority of those polled in both states had little to no knowlege of the Mexican wolf recovery program. Therefore it isn’t surprising that most support wolf recovery, 69% in NM and 77% in Arizona.
What is surprising is the strong support for both wolf control and livestock grazing not fully reported in the mainstream media but prevalent throughout the poll results.
More than two-thirds (68%) of those polled in NM had little to no knowledge of the Mexican wolf recovery program [here]. In Arizona 51% to 52% had little to no knowledge of the Mexican wolf program [here].
Not reported in the major media outlets was the fact that those polled supported ranching on federally administered land and felt livestock grazing was good for the environment.
On livestock grazing
49% of New Mexico participants believed livestock grazing is good for the environment, while 26% had no opinion.
51% Arizona participants believed livestock grazing is good for the environment, while 28% had no opinion.
Spending taxpayer dollars on wolves and ranching.
79% New Mexico participants want taxpayer dollars to go towards helping ranchers who have experienced wolf conflicts to reduce them. 11% specified that they wanted taxpayer dollars to go to removing and even killing wolves that cause conflict with livestock.
71% Arizona participants want taxpayer dollars to go towards helping ranchers who have experienced wolf conflicts to reduce them. 11% specified that they wanted taxpayer dollars to go towards removing and even killing wolves that caused with livestock.
On wolf control
In New Mexico, 33% of participants want to see wolves that kill 3 or more livestock killed or removed. 25% were neutral on the matter (this means they didn’t oppose wolves being killed or removed this was not reported in the mainstream media). Only 36% oppose killing and removing wolves that kill livestock.
In Arizona, 28% of participants want to see wolves that kill 3 or more livestock killed or removed. 24% were neutral on the matter (this means they didn’t oppose wolves being killed or removed this was not reported in the mainstream media). Only 44% oppose killing and removing wolves that kill livestock.
This poll was interpreted to show mass support for wolf recovery and could certainly be interpreted that way if one ignores all other results, yet it also shows widespread support for ranchers and ranching in AZ and NM.
It clearly shows that the majority of people identify with ranchers on loss of personal property and their ability to sustain their livelihoods through livestock grazing and if necessary, through wolf control. The poll could very well be interpreted to show that wolf control to support ranchers is more important to the participants than removal of grazing to support wolves.
What this poll also says is that even with the anti-ranching agenda set forth by those commissioning the polls, the whole range of poll results indicated that the participants generally had positive attitudes about ranching and livestock grazing.
The vast majority of those polled admitted little to no knowledge of the issue, therefore the uneducated public opinion on Mexican wolves and wolf reintroduction is positive. Despite mass media campaigns by wolf advocates who have been educating the public on wolf management that may or may not be scientifically based for years, the public still supports livestock grazing on federally administered lands, and possibly even over wolf recovery even though they also support the idea of wolves on the same landscape. What would happen with a little pro-active education on the real wolf story from a ranching perspective?