A male Mexican gray wolf from the Saddle Pack, number M574, was lethally removed from the wild in Arizona on Sunday ( July 11, 2004). Extensive trapping efforts had begun in March but the rough terrain and the wolf's erratic movements made it too difficult to capture. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service authorized the action on June 15 due to the wolf's depredation on cattle.
This was the second lethal take action in the Mexican wolf reintroduction program. Overall, the Service has approved three separate lethal take actions. Two have resulted in take, one order was retracted.
"Lethal take is our last choice for removing wolves. The loss of any individual animal that could contribute to the recovery of a threatened species can not be taken lightly," said Dale Hall, Director of the Services Southwest Region. "Before the reintroduction began, the Service made a promise that we would remove depredating wolves and we must keep that promise. Otherwise we compromise the program. Now we need to focus on the other 50 to 60 wolves that are doing well in New Mexico and Arizona."
This wolf, as are all Mexican wolves reintroduced by this project, was part of a nonessential, experimental population, a designation that allows flexibility for managing wolves in conflict situations, including cattle depredations that resulted in the lethal take.
The wolf's mate, who also depredated on cows, was captured in March and placed in the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge Wolf Management Facility where she had a litter of five pups fathered by M574. The pups are being cared for by their mother and a surrogate father.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
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-FWS
