The eradication and recovery of the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) is described in four stages: (a) extermination (1900–1976); (b) protection and breeding in captivity (1976–1998); (c) biological conservation (1996 to date); and (d) conservation management and reintroduction (2007 to date). During the twentieth century, the Mexican wolf was nearly driven to extinction in the southern United States and Mexico. A few specimens were preserved in zoos, from which the population recovery began with seven wild wolves from Durango and Chihuahua, Mexico. The management goal was to reestablish healthy populations in their historical distribution. Academics, wildlife managers, and government officials from both countries initiated a reintroduction program in 1998. Management had balanced conservation interests in an ecological, political, and socioeconomic landscape that, although challenging, was a platform for multidisciplinary management. As part of the conservation program, opportunities have been generated for productive diversification of natural resources, and better coexistence between wolves and local communities has been fostered. Some of these strategies are now public policies, with their nuances in both countries, that regulate the relationship between rural communities and their lands.