ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Environmentalists are accusing federal wildlife managers of keeping secret details about management of a Mexican gray wolf pack in southwestern New Mexico.
The criticism comes after a public records request netted hundreds of pages of blacked-out documents.
The group WildEarth Guardians says nearly 80 percent of the 870 pages released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services were redacted.
Federal officials say some of the documents are exempt under the Freedom of Information Act. However, environmentalists suggested Tuesday that the federal government was trying to hide details about decisions related to the Fox Mountain Pack.
WildEarth Guardians requested the documents in August after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ordered the capture of the pack's alpha female. An initial order to have the wolf shot was withdrawn after it sparked public outcry.
The pack has been blamed for killing cattle.