Campbell Blue Female Captured

On Sunday morning, April 23, the Mexican Gray Wolf Interagency Field Team recaptured the Campbell Blue alpha female, #518, in the Sawmill Cabin area of the Apache National Forest. The wolf is being returned to captivity at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. The decision to recapture her was made because she exhibited undesirable behavior during an encounter with ranch dogs and a rancher on horseback. The rancher encountered the Campbell Blue Pack while riding with his six dogs on April 14. The wolves and dogs began fighting, and the rancher was able to frighten the two yearling wolves away. The adult pair remained in the area, and the female wolf charged at the horse, bumping it with her shoulders and front feet. Neither the horse or the rancher were harmed in the encounter. One dog sustained minor injuries.

Biologists believe the wolves were protecting their territory, and perhaps a kill, from the dogs and were not focused on the rancher. However, the behavior towards the horse with a mounted rider was not acceptable, and the recently released alpha female is being returned to captivity. The yearling pups have been returned to an acclimation pen on the forest, and the team will attempt to reunite them with the alpha male.

The Campbell Blue male is one of the two remaining animals from the first eleven released in Arizona in 1998. He has adapted well to the wild, feeding on native prey and has not preyed on livestock.

The Campbell Blue males first mate was shot. In the spring of 1998, that pairing produced the first known wild born pup in the recovery program. As the lone parent, the male unsuccessfully attempted to rear the pup alone. His second mate was killed by a mountain lion in October of 1999. The two succeeding mates, including the female captured on Sunday, demonstrated undesirable behaviors resulting in their return to captivity.