Mexican wolves endure more losses

By Mary Katherine Ray, Chapter Wildlife Chair

The most recent lethal removal of Mexican wolves occurred in mid-December with the blessing of wolf reintroduction project officials when a lone female consorted too closely with ranch dogs in Beaverhead, NM.

She had previously mated with a domestic dog and birthed a litter of hybrids. All of those puppies save one were killed by the project last spring. (The last one has not been found.) Alone and unable to find a mate of her own kind because there are not enough wild wolves on the ground, she set her eyes on a ranch dog and for that, under pressure as always from the livestock industry, she was shot dead. The fearful account from the ranch wife aside, she harmed none of the dogs with whom she interacted and showed no interest at all in the young children who were nearby.

This unwelcome tiding adds to a year-long list of deceased wolves. The Hawk’s Nest pack in Arizona, which has never been known to prey on livestock, lost three members. Two dispersing pups were killed last spring, one by illegal gunshot and the other possibly a road kill. The alpha female was struck and killed by lightning last summer.

Two wolves were captured with injuries of as yet undetermined cause that resulted in their deaths while on the way to veterinary help. One was a disperser pup from the Middle Fork pack in New Mexico and the other from the Bluestem pack in Arizona. Another Middle Fork disperser died also of as yet unknown cause, as did two from the Rim pack. The latter two survived the Wallow fire but perished separately this fall.

In a list of bad news, there was a bright spot. The alpha male of the Paradise pack in Arizona went missing in the spring of 2010 and surprised everyone by turning up again in the summer of 2011, over a year later.

Nevertheless, nine known wolf deaths in a year is too many. There are eight collared pups born this year, and it is hoped more will be found in the official aerial population count in January. Yet it is undeniable that more releases into the wild would help this population enormously.

There are many eligible wolves just waiting in captivity for release. The investment in captive breeding is wasted if the program continues to refuse them their freedom in the wild. Only one has been added to the wild population in the last five years! The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service needs to hear from you that it is time for wolves to be released directly into New Mexico. Let no more wolves die needlessly and tragically.

Write U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Regional Director Dr. Benjamin Tuggle at
RDTuggle@fws.gov and Senators Udall Senator_Tom_Udall@tomudall.senate.gov
and Senator Bingaman senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov