Report produced in Mexican Wolf Recovery Program
SILVER CITY — A multi-agency cooperative effort among the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the White Mountain Apache Tribe produced a monthly report on the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project.
The report stated that genetic results from a male pup in the Leopold Pack, which is located in the northern portion of the Gila Wilderness and the southern portion of the Gila National Forest, indicate that the breeding female of the Leopold Pack is a pup cross-fostered into the Dark Canyon Pack in 2014. This confirms the first instance of a Mexican wolf cross-fostered into a wild den surviving to and successfully reproducing offspring.
According to the report, this is a significant accomplishment in recovery efforts to increase genetic diversity in the wild population through cross-fostering efforts.
Another wolf was also cross-fostered into the Dark Canyon pack in 2014 and has survived to reproductive age and has paired with a female which was named the Baldy Pack back in September of 2016.
The definition of a wolf pack has been defined as two or more wolves that maintain an established territory. In the event that one of the two alpha wolves dies, the remaining alpha wolf will retain the pack status.
The Mexican Wolf/Livestock Council met to discuss requests for depredation compensation that varied from the guidelines. The council also discussed how they would use estate funds that were provided to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for conservation of the Mexican wolf.
The Fish and Wildlife Service gave a recovery award to Chairman Lupe of the White Mountain Apache Tribe for its exceptional contributions to the recovery program. The Mexican wolf population on the 1.6 million-acre Fort Apache Indian Reservation has grown and contributes substantially to the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program. This tribe was the first to officially facilitate the wolf recovery.
The Interagency Field Team estimated that there was a minimum of 97 wolves in the wild as of December of 2015. End of the year counts for 2016 are currently ongoing and will be completed next month. At the end of December, there were 56 wolves with functioning radio collars that the IFT was monitoring.
The packs are as follows:
In New Mexico, there is the Dark Canyon Pack, which is located in the west central portion of the Gila National Forest. The Iron Creek Pack continued to utilize their territory in the northern portion of the Gila Wilderness and the southern portion of the Gila National Forest. The Lava Pack had a new female that was tracked traveling with it in the territory of the northern portion of the Gila Wilderness and the southern portion of the Gila National Forest. The Leopold Pack was within their territory as stated above. The Luna Pack is in the north central portion of the Gila National Forest. The Mangas Pack continued in the north western portions of the Gila National Forest. The Prieto Pack was located in the north central portion of the Gila National Forest. This pack had dispersal behavior in December of 2016. Remote cameras documented a female and male traveling with an Alfa female and other uncollared wolves in the pack. It also revealed that a male and female were traveling with an alpha male of the Sheepherders Baseball Park Pack.
The San Mateo Pack remained in the north central portion of the Gila National Forest. The Sheepherders Baseball Park Pack was also in the north central portion of the Gila National Forest and the alpha male was seen traveling with a female of the Prieto Pack.
The Willow Springs Pack remained in the north central portion of the Gila National Forest.
Arizona has the Bear Wallow Pack, the Bluestem Pack, the Elk Horn Pack, the Hawks Nest Pack, the Hoodoo pack, the Maverick Pack and the Panther Creek Pack.
On the Fair, there was the Diamond Pack which remained along the New Mexico and Arizona border. The Tsay-O-Ah Pack was in the eastern portion of the Fair as was the Baldy pack.
There were no documented mortalities in the month of December and there was one confirmed wolf kill with no nuisance reports.
On Dec. 18, Wildlife Services investigated a dead calf in Apache County, Arizona and it was determined that it was a confirmed wolf kill.
On Dec. 14 Wildlife Services investigated two dead calves in Apache County and both of the calves were killed by coyotes.
On Dec. 23, Wildlife Services investigated a dead adult cow in Apache County and it was determined that the cow died from unknown causes.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a reward of up to $10,000; The Arizona Game and Fish Department Operation Game Thief is offering a reward of up to $1,000; and the New Mexico Department Game and Fish is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the shooting deaths of Mexican wolves. A variety of non-governmental organizations and private individuals have pledged an additional $46,000 for a total reward amount of up to $58,000, depending on the information provided.
Killing a Mexican wolf is a violation of the Federal Endangered Species Act and can result in criminal penalties of up to $50,000 and or not more than one year in jail, and or a civil penalty of up to $25,000.