MEXICAN WOLF UPDATE
January, February, and March 2023
Arizona Game and Fish Department
Mexican Wolf Recovery Program Update
First Quarter 2023 (January, February, March)
The following is a summary of Mexican Wolf Recovery Program activities in the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area (MWEPA) in Arizona, including the Fort Apache Indian Reservation (FAIR), San Carlos Apache Reservation (SCAR), and New Mexico. Additional Program information can be obtained by calling (928) 339-4329 or toll free at (888) 459-9653, or by visiting the Arizona Game and Fish Department website at https://live-azgfd-main.pantheonsite.io/wildlife-conservation/conservation-and-endangered-species-programs/mexican-wolf-management/, or by visiting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website at fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf. For information on the FAIR, call (928) 338-4385 ext. 226 or visit wmatoutdoor.org. Past updates may be viewed at these websites. Interested parties may sign up to receive this update electronically by visiting azgfd.com and clicking on the E-news Signup tab on the top left corner of the webpage. This update is a public document and information in it can be used for any purpose.
The Mexican Wolf Recovery Program is a multi-agency cooperative effort among the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF), USDA Forest Service (USFS), USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (WS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), White Mountain Apache Tribe (WMAT), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the U.S. National Park Service (NPS).
To view semi-monthly wolf location information, please visit https://arcg.is/bLyPO.
Please report any wolf sightings or suspected livestock depredations to: the Alpine wolf office (928) 339-4329, Pinetop wolf office (928) 532-2391 or toll free at (888) 459-9653. For sightings or suspected depredations on the FAIR, please call the WMAT wolf office in Whiteriver at (928) 338-4385 ext. 226. To report incidents of take or harassment of wolves, please call the AZGFD 24-hour dispatch (Operation Game Thief) at (800) 352-0700.
Overall Mexican Wolf Recovery Program Quarterly Updates
In January 2023, the Service received a petition to list the coyote as endangered under the Endangered Species Act due to similarity of appearance, prompting the Service to consider the requirements for designating coyotes as endangered based on a similarity of appearance to the Mexican wolf as a rulemaking action under the Administrative Procedures Act.
In its evaluation, the Service found the coyote did not meet any of the three criteria required to make a similarity of appearance designation:
- Their degree of resemblance is not significant enough to render the species indistinguishable, and law enforcement personnel do not have substantial difficulty in differentiating between Mexican wolves and coyotes.
- Since differentiation between the two species is not substantially difficult for law enforcement, this is not an additional threat to the Mexican wolf’s survival and recovery, as illegal take can be investigated and legal action taken.
- A designation would not substantially further the enforcement and policy of the ESA.
Numbering System: Mexican wolves are given an identification number recorded in an official studbook that tracks their history. Capital letters (M = Male, F = Female) preceding the number indicate adult animals 24 months or older. Lower case letters (m = male, f = female) are used to indicate wolves younger than 24 months. A lowercase letter “p” preceding the number is used to indicate a wolf pup born in the most recent spring. The capital letter “A” preceding the letter and number indicates breeding wolves.
Definitions: A “wolf pack” is defined as two or more wolves that maintain an established territory. In the event that one of the two breeding (dominant) wolves dies, the remaining breeding wolf, regardless of pack size, retains the pack status. The packs referenced in this update contain at least one wolf wearing a radio telemetry collar. The Interagency Field Team (IFT) recognizes that wolves without radio telemetry collars may also form packs. If the IFT confirms that wolves are associating with each other and are resident within the same home range, they will be referenced as a pack.
CURRENT POPULATION STATUS
The end of year count for 2022 generated a minimum abundance of 241 Mexican wolves in the wild (105 in AZ and 136 in NM). At the end of 2022, there were a minimum of 59 packs documented (19 in AZ and 40 in NM). This was a 23% increase in the population from the 2021 end of year count. Annual counts are conducted in the winter as this is when the population experiences the least amount of natural fluctuation (i.e., the population increases dramatically in the spring with the birth of new pups and declines throughout the summer and fall as pup mortality generally occurs in this period). Thus, the IFT summarizes the total number of counted wolves in winter. Counting the population at the end of each year allows for comparable year-to-year trends at a time of year when the Mexican wolf population is most stable.
WOLF PACK UPDATES:
For each documented wolf pack in the tables below, wolves fitted with functioning collars at the end of the quarter are listed by studbook number. Studbook numbers of wolves without collars or with non-functioning collars are not listed in the pack updates. Not all wolves in the population are collared or have assigned studbook numbers. Captures, mortalities, removals, and food caching are listed in the corresponding column for the given time period. If a pack was food cached at any time within the quarter, the food cache column will indicate the type of food cache. The primary reason for food caching will be noted with “S” for supplemental and “D” for diversionary; the reason for a food cache may change over time.
If a wolf dies, becomes fate unknown, or is removed in the current time period, its studbook number will be removed from the pack column in the following time period. After three months of consistent dispersal behavior away from pack territory, a dispersing wolf is no longer considered a member of its originating pack and will be added to a new row as a single wolf or member of a different pack. Packs that have raised pups in the quarter will be listed as “Yes” in the “Raising pups” column. This will remain for the calendar year if the pack was documented rearing pups in the period of April through September. Any fields that require further comment will be annotated with “*” and further comments are listed in the “Comments” column.
ARIZONA:
If you have problems reading the charts below, click on the chart to open the image on your computer screen. On a phone, use your phone's zoom function (often a pinching motion) to enlarge the images.
NEW MEXICO:
MORTALITIES
Six Mexican wolf mortalities were documented in the current quarter, which brings the total number of documented mortalities in 2023 to 6 (3 in AZ and 3 in NM). The annual mortality total for 2022 (12) was substantially lower than 2021 (25 mortalities) and 2020 (29 mortalities) and was the lowest annual total of documented Mexican wolf mortalities since 2017 (12 mortalities) when the Mexican wolf population was significantly smaller (minimum of 114 wolves).
GENETIC MANAGEMENT
INCIDENTS
The following are investigations of livestock depredations conducted by Wildlife Services during the quarter that were determined to be caused by wolves. Investigations of dead and injured livestock conducted by Wildlife Services during this time period that were determined to be from causes other than wolves (i.e., vehicle strike, illness, coyote predation, bear predation, or unknown cause) are not listed in this quarterly update.
DEPREDATIONS
PUBLIC INCIDENTS
On January 23, 2023, the IFT received a phone call about a wolf near a private residence in Vernon, AZ. The Reporting Party (RP), stated that they heard their dog barking and went to investigate. A single animal was seen running away from the area towards two other animals. The IFT investigated and determined that these canines were likely coyotes.
On January 24, 2023, the IFT took a report of a large uncollared wolf in Chloride, NM. The RP was outside walking her dog, went back inside the home and the wolf walked by the house and out of sight. A NMDGF Game Warden responded on the day of the incident, confirmed wolf tracks in area reported, but no wolf was observed.
On February 1, 2023, the IFT took a report of a wolf observed in Mule Creek, NM, in close proximity to and interacting with cattle. The IFT responded by increasing monitoring in the area.
On February 14, 2023, a member of the IFT discovered a dead elk near residences on private property east of Nutrioso, AZ. Multiple wolves were observed feeding on the elk and seen in the surrounding area. The IFT responded by hazing the wolves out of the area and removing the elk carcass to mitigate further attractants. Members of the IFT spoke to several of the residents nearby and provided direct contact information for IFT personnel so any further sightings could be reported immediately. Since the incident, the IFT has continued to monitor the area for further wolf activity.
Throughout the month of February, the IFT has received several calls regarding sightings of wolves in Nutrioso. In response to the increased wolf activity in the area, the IFT has implemented a regular monitoring schedule, checking the area for wolf radio collar signals throughout the day in an effort to haze any wolves located within the community.
On March 7, 2023, the IFT received a call about wolves observed on a security camera in the backyard of a private residence in Greer, AZ. The RP shared the security camera video and the IFT was able to determine that these animals were coyotes.
On March 30, 2023, the IFT took a report of a wolf that approached a group of people with dogs on the Gila National Forest near Alma Mesa. The wolf reportedly interacted with the dogs and approached to within 15 feet of the people. The RP did not report any additional interactions with the wolf.
PROACTIVE MANAGEMENT
PROGRAM PERSONNEL
In March, Shana Olson returned to the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program as a Field Biologist for NMDGF. Welcome back Shana.
REWARDS OFFERED
The USFWS is offering a reward of up to $10,000, the AZGFD Operation Game Thief is offering a reward of up to $1,000, and the NMDGF 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 additional funding for a total reward amount of up to $37,000, depending on the information provided.
Individuals with information they believe may be helpful are urged to call one of the following agencies: USFWS special agents in Mesa, Arizona, at (480) 967-7900, in Alpine, Arizona, at (928) 339-4232, or in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at (505) 346-7828; the WMAT at (928) 338-1023 or (928) 338-4385; AZGFD Operation Game Thief at (800) 352-0700; or NMDGF Operation Game Thief at (800) 432-4263. Killing a Mexican wolf is a violation of state law and 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.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department receives Federal assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and thus prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age and sex pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. To request an accommodation or informational material in an alternative format or to file a discrimination complaint please contact the Director’s Office at (623) 942-3000 or by mail at 5000 West Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086. Discrimination complaints can also be filed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Diversity and Inclusive Workforce, Attention: Public Civil Rights and Disability Coordinator, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041.