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TUCSON - Environmentalists are up in arms after a recent decision by the federal government not to list the Mexican Gray Wolf as a separate subspecies under the Endangered Species Act.

Environmental advocacy group, WildEarth Guardians is concerned that Friday's decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hamper efforts to increase the state's wolf population.

WildEarth Guardians petitioned to relist the Mexican Wolf as a separate subspecies of the Gray Wolf in 2009. They were added to the endangered species list in 1976 after hunters nearly wiped them out. 11 Mexican Gray Wolves were released along the Arizona-New Mexico border in 1998 as part of a reintroduction effort. Only about 60 of the animals currently live in the region.