ALBUQUERQUE -- Some residents in southwestern New Mexico are worried about encounters between children and endangered Mexican gray wolves that have been reintroduced along the New Mexico-Arizona border.
In one case, 14-year-old J.C. Nelson ran into three wolves while on a hunting trip with his father. In another, a wolf attacked and injured a family dog while a young girl was nearby.
John Morgart, wolf recovery coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a member of the interagency team reintroducing the wolves, said an investigation into Nelson’s case found the animals were not out to attack.
"The wolves showed no signs of aggression and just appeared curious," he said. "They looked him over and moved on, and that was it."
Joe Nelson and his son were hunting south of Reserve in October when the teen came across three wolves. One stayed in front of him while the other two circled around. They came within 20 or 30 feet and left after five to 10 minutes.
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The teen had a rifle but was worried he’d get in trouble if he shot an endangered animal, the elder Nelson said.
Morgart said it sounded like the boy kept his cool.
The state Game and Fish Department tried to re-create the incident with the Luna Pack, the wolves suspected to have been involved. Morgart said the animals ran when investigators got within 50 yards of them.
"We take any reports of these kinds of things seriously," he said.
But Nelson contends that the agencies didn’t help.
Carlie Gatlin, whose husband manages a ranch in the Gila, said a family dog was killed by a wolf near their house about two months ago.
"I don’t let the kids go outside unless they have two-way radios," she said. "I’ve heard of a lot more encounters going on."
The wolf reintroduction plans to compile statistics on encounters as part of its annual report.
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