The Endangered Species Act prevents the control of wolves that prey on livestock. Wolves reintroduced into the Southwest would be subject to the same control.
Wolves are dangerous to humans.
Unlike feral or domestic dogs who have lost their fear of man, wild wolves avoid humans. From the time they are 3-months old, wolves exhibit fear by avoiding people, other large predators, and even wolves from outside their own group. Ranchers in the Southwest will suffer economic hardship due to wolf restoration. To better address the concerns of individual ranchers, Defenders of Wildlife established a Wolf Compensation Fund that pays fair market value for verified livestock losses to wolves. Furthermore, Defenders is currently working with local communities to develop economic programs which will help ranchers benefit from wolves.