Last
month, two members of a federally protected population of Mexican gray
wolves were found dead in New Mexico. As Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan
Heinsius reports, that makes three confirmed deaths of the endangered
species in the last two months.
As
of January 2014, officials said 83 Mexican gray wolves roamed the Blue
Range Wolf Recovery Area in eastern Arizona and New Mexico.
Credit LA Times
According
to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the deaths of the two male
wolves are under investigation. A third male wolf was found dead several
weeks earlier in eastern Arizona. The cause of that animal’s death is also unknown.
Since
the Southwestern wolf reintroduction began in 1998 there have been many
illegal killings of the animals. Wildlife advocates say wolves are an
important part of the ecosystem, but many ranchers claim they’re a
threat to human and livestock safety. The federal government does reimburse ranchers for confirmed wolf predations.
The
Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area spans more than 4 million acres in
eastern Arizona and New Mexico. Currently, the wolf population there
includes 59 collared wolves split into 18 packs. Forty pups have been
produced by the population so far this year.
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