Federal wildlife officials killed a female wolf Wednesday night after she repeatedly returned to a ranch across the border from Arizona in Catron County, N.M.
Members of the Interagency Field Team had tried to dart the wolf, tranquilize her and move her to another area, said Tom Buckley, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman. But those efforts failed.
“Concerns for public safety became an issue after she continued to be present on ranch property so the Service gave the order to proceed with lethal removal,” Buckley said in a press release.
The killing is just the latest blow to the 13-year-old program to re-introduce Mexican gray wolves in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico. Last year, a fish and wildlife service report said the project was “at risk of failure.” The report said shooting had been the top cause of death in the wolf population. At that point, 31 wolves had been shot to death.
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Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity attributed the wolf’s death to the failure of officials to increase the wolf population in the reintroduction area. He said the same wolf mated with a dog from elsewhere earlier this year, and gave birth to five hybrid pups, four of which were captured and killed by federal officials.
In the statement, Robinson said: “This very sad episode is a result of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s refusal to release enough wolves into the wild to allow this single female to find a mate of her own kind.”
On Dec. 2, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission voted to oppose any new Mexican gray wolf releases until the service completes certain planning measures.
