The victim was trying to feed the obviously rabid or ill wolf.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/witness-sinks-teeth-into-womans-wolf-tale-199490591.html
Habituated Predators
Mule Killed by wolves in New Mexico wolf pack out of control.
Mexican wolves in New Mexico have been killing livestock at family homes and ranches again. Over the weekend this young mule was brutally run down and gutted by a pack of wolves. Needless to say this has gone on long enough. This pack needs to be shot or otherwise permanently removed.
Proximity is the problem. Mexican wolf encounters with children impacted on the rise.
In December the program issued it’s first lethal control order after a female wolf with a long track record of livestock depredations and human habitation was found circling a private home at regular intervals where small children were exposed to her close presence. The same wolf had birthed a litter of hybrid pups the prior spring and FWS are still on the lookout for the one Mexican wolf hybrid that got away. They haven’t found it presumably it will add to the genetic mix that is the rare Mexican wolf. The remarkable thing about this control action is the fact that despite dozens of human safety encounters since the beginning of the program many of which involved their attraction to children, this was the first time the agency admitted lethal control was warranted for human safety reasons.
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- Middle Fork wolves slip into ranch HQ and are captured by game camera.
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- One very big Mexican wolf or Mexican wolf hybrid.
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- Head down stalk mode.
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- Checking out the craying babies.
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- Slipping around the buildings
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- Looking for a handout
The encounters with wolves did not end after AF 1105 was removed from the picture. Despite the claims from radical environmental organizations that the wolf was merely lonely and only needed to find a male. They also claimed that there weren’t enough male wolves in the wild for her to mate with, The next three encounters at homes and highways were with male wolves looking for a mate in the same region as AF 1105.
The photo’s in the attached gallery show these animals are clearly in the vicinity of people and they are also in the area where pairing with AF 1105 was possible and feasible. Instead, they appear more interested in easy prey or a handout at a home than pairing with a female that was making herself readily available for another breeding with a ranch dog. It makes a reasonable person wonder what these big males are breeding with since they showed little interest in AF 1105 possibly coyotes it is possible as the canine DNA is nearly identical subject to family markers.
The photo’s on the highway of the large male wolf occurred when the same young mother in the AF 1105 home invasion incident stopped alongside the road to allow her 4 year old some fresh air after she was carsick. The 2 year old child still strapped in the car seat became impatient and began crying and this animal stepped out of the woods and approached the woman and her children. She was able to put the sick child back in the car and get herself in the car with about 20 feet between herself and this enormous animal. But the fact is, this wolf was intent on stalking her, and her children were calling it into the scene with their normal if distressed behavior.
These are her words. Words that will be torn apart by extremist activists who do not live among and often have never even seen these animals outside of a zoo.
Crystal’s Wolf Encounter
Saturday January 28, 2012
I was traveling east on Hwy 59 with my 2 young daughters in the car when my oldest, who frequently gets carsick, demanded a quick roadside stop. I pulled over just east of Poverty Creek and removed her from the vehicle. We walked around for several minutes so Cayden could get some fresh air after being sick on the shoulder of the road. The drivers door and back door were wide open. My 2 year old daughter, Reece, remained in the car crying hysterically to be removed from her car seat. After about a 5-6 minute stop, I loaded Cayden back in the car. I then walked around the back of the vehicle & towards my door when I saw a wolf standing in the middle of the road within 20 feet of my open car door. I ran to jump in my car & shut the door. The wolf, who had been standing still then walked up to the drivers side of my vehicle and stood a moment. Reece was still crying loudly. Using the camera feature on my phone I was able to capture several photos of the fearless behavior of this uncollared wolf. He’d pace in front of my vehicle from one side to the other, again and again. After watching each other for about 6-7 long minutes, the wolf seemed to tire of us and began to trot off to the south. As soon as I’d put the car in gear & move forward a few feet- it would quickly stop & curiously trot back to the car (the 2nd time he walked off, noticed movement, then returns to the road was captured on video recording). The standoff had now lasted roughly 12-15 minutes. Needing to get on my way, I slowly drove off. Leaving him sitting on the roadside shoulder, exactly where my 3 year old daughter had been sick just minutes before. This is the 2nd time in just over one month that a wolf has come within feet of my children.Crystal Runyan Diamond
Beaverhead Ranch
Crystal Diamond has suffered an unbelievable amount of slander in the local news media simply because she is in proximity of the expanding Mexican wolf population. The activists who have repeatedly attempted to destroy her credibility and reputation have deliberately avoided the factual reports on the situation that are available to them. Instead they choose to blame and attack a mom over the death of a problem habituated aggressive wolf.
The message is that this wolf was special, this wolf was presumably more special than Crystal’s small children and their safety and their freedom to exercise their rights on their own land at at their own home.
This wolf is not special. Genetically this wolf was redundant to the population of Mexican wolves, which include over 400 in captivity. Only genetically redundant wolves are legally allowed to be used in the releases on federal lands in AZ and NM dozens exactly like her exist in captivity ready to enhance the breeding pool.
It is disturbing that we are now seeing a trend from government agency personnel working within the program to promote the extremist notion that wolves on the ground are genetically special and cannot be removed or controlled. This is contrary to all scientific and policy documents and is merely evidence that not only are there close ties to the most extreme environmental advocates for wolves in the southwest. But Fish and Wildlife Service also appear to be coordinating media and strategy with those same organizations.
The behavior of the wolf population the Federal agencies in charge of it, as well as the radical wolf advocates is such that local governments in counties that contain wolves are examining their options to protect human safety in events such as those that occurred at Beaverhead and along Highway 59 and other nearby rural homes and communities. Human health and safety is something that the agencies themselves are supposed to uphold over any policy that they have concerning wolf increase but with the large number of incidents involving children in the area the counties feel they must be ready to step in and do the job the federal government is somewhat lackadaisical about doing. We don’t know what will happen if Catron county kills a wolf in a constituents yard but the majority of the small population in the county are supportive, desperately so, of the idea. It is also important to note that Crystal Diamond is certainly not the only mother in tri-county Grant, Sierra, Catron area that has had serious encounters with wolves and is forced to deal with them on a regular basis. In 2007 Mary Miller and her husband Mark were forced to witness their 8 year old running from a wolf attack on a family dog attack that occurred immediately adjacent to the child. In 2005 Carlie Gatlin was forced to walk home from a wreaked vehicle with two small children and a concussion and was followed by Luna pack their tracks overlapped hers in the snow. Her son was bleeding from a head injury her daughter was small enough to be carried. These are far from all the incidents recorded. Deliberate habituation of Mexican wolves by agency managers has ruined many of the wolves for wild behavior, making them extremely dangerous.
Megan Richardson who lives with the habituated livestock killing middle fork pack coming into her home at regular intervals has to wonder if the sounds her small baby son makes, draws them even closer. The wolves can seen in the Game camera photo’s coming into her driveway, she puts it bluntly. “Is it going to take someone getting seriously hurt before something is done?”
4 out of 5 Mexican wolves released in Sonora Mexico are Dead.
I translated this with Google translate so it isn’t the best version. Original link.
Mourning national conservation
Bastien Hole Marielena | Opinion
18.01.2012 | Creation Time: 1:57:07 | Last Modified: 1:58:16
I write these lines still dry mouth, sensitive and irreversible after the events to which I refer Wednesday and that first I could not believe. Hence, retain the information so far. And I find it inexplicable that raised far from the huge scandal that correspond to one of the most serious environmental crimes that have suffered recently, the facts have been hidden, as is the case of the killing, by running over one and poisoning other 3 copies of the 5 family of Mexican wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) that were recently released into Sonora territory. Of course that is already a criminal complaint filed with the Specialized Unit for Investigation of Crimes against the Environment and planned Special Laws of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), and that the preliminary investigation is including timely follow-up, however, is to draw attention, once again, that the event is being handled at such a low profile, and both from the environmental authorities (Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources-National Commission of Natural Protected Areas, Wildlife Department) as Naturalia, A. C., the civic organization that promoted, and that gives me the impression that while once and it had to be, also precipitated the reintroduction of the specimens to the wild, in an effort to cap a great first effort returning them to their habitat , even a small part of the wider region that historically belonged to, being as they are, a species extinct in the wild, as only small groups are in captivity, both in the United States and here in our country, not being in total over 400 individuals with the stakes are the survival of the smallest subspecies of gray wolf that tried to eradicate the middle of last century, everything, because the wolf has always been the villain of the story.
I worry that in the little information I could RECAVA unofficially, no man assures me it has been carried out the rescue of the alpha female, now alone at the mercy of the infamous who killed his family because they keep it that way, with everything and be monitored by carrying a telemetry collar would be sentenced to certain death because what happened happened and how it happened, and because being wolf needs a group … is said to bring a male think, but …
Should be strengthened first formal commitment to serious and ranchers in the area to fully convince them of the benefits from the presence of wolves on their land, because by then I was told that 4 ranch owners with which they spoke to locate within his farm at 5 great-an adult couple and three young children, said only one contributor to open this historic release. Hence observe rainfall … who or what or whom and for what … are outstanding responses to prevent further devastating sacrifices of these poor animals originally bred parents carefully selected to avoid inbreeding … possible care later in their development with extensive care and love to get a couple conform to soon give puppies … and once all integrated, with a view to removing them from re-education of humans and to teach them to hunt and survive in the wild, an issue that took more than two decades, said to be easy, but that effort was completed in less than sings a rooster, since Oct. 11 when the animals got loose, and by December had ended. In addition, I have to tell you that while he prepared for this family, in a property located in Nuevo Leon and prepared expressly for the purpose, was to locate the place, seeking to have enough length, adequate vegetation and especially appropriate prey and was far from any human community and their livestock herds to avoid conflict, which was of no avail because even prevented the possibility of that attack on the animals, say some bad experiences across the border, apparently never felt so likely to happen in Mexico. Pride ¿? A saber.
I say that the prosecutor is in charge of the case by the PGR has many years of experience, but more than that commitment to the field. I know of José Ricardo Rodriguez Soria, but I hope his background sooner quickly find the true ecocidal, which no mercy will surely be imposed the maximum penalty provided by law for such a dramatic event, as well as a high financial penalty, punishment can include up to 9 years in prison. Otherwise, I am aware that for his part, Dr. Hernando Guerrero, head of the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection, is very attentive to the issue, closing clip, but still, we also hope that accurate information is released and that for the next release will not save so much reserve, but rather the opposite, so that animals are protected by society, which ultimately are the ones through tax fund any program officer, and therefore MUST NOT HIDE WE MINIMIZE ANY DATA OR LESS IMPORTANT AS A RELEASE even had to be announced with fanfare by President Felipe Calderon himself. Yes … at that level. Or less, punctuated by the Secretary Juan Rafael Elvira. This magnitude deserved the reintroduction of wolves, which in itself would have been basic to protect them.
In another case … how ignorant of the singer Emmanuel!, Supposedly very interested in the ecological and acomedido to nag about it. Someone could inform me what Holbox town belongs, and that the whale shark is a fish, the largest planet by the way, and not a marine mammal as recently noted in an interview with Joaquin Lopez Doriga my dear, who for also gave a color with the atrocities of that, and …
Term referring to another goal for zoos capital, with the arrival of a pair of giant pandas, on Monday, France, where they remain for 10 years. And us stateless? Pepe Fed Bernal trip to China and our pundits spending his last years in singleness.
As always, I say goodbye leaving my email available to what is offered: producciones_serengueti@yahoo.com
Young Family Held Hostage by Mexican Grey Wolf
Here’s The Moos…. For Immediate Release / December 17, 2011
From the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association
P.O. Box 7517 / Albuquerque, New Mexico 87194
For further information, contact: Caren Cowan
505.263.2015 phone / nmcga@nmagriculture.org email
Young Family Held Hostage by Mexican Grey Wolf
Crystal Diamond, who lives on the family ranch near Beaverhead, spent 24 hours indoors with her two daughters, ages two and three, with a collared Mexican Grey Wolf on her front porch and in her yard, before the wolf was controlled by Wildlife Serivces personnel. (Crystal has written a detailed timeline of events, see below.)
“There is no excuse for putting a young woman and her two small children in such a dangerous situation,” said Rex Wilson, New Mexico Cattle Growers Association (NMCGA) President, Carrizozo. “Our citizens should be able to rely on their government for protection, not be held captive in their homes by a government sponsored predator. As a father and taxpayer, I am outraged.”
According to Diamond, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) personnel were aware that the wolf was in the area, but made the decision not to stay and monitor the situation, Wilson said. “These people knew the wolf was there, knew that its presence placed families, livestock and pets that could be in danger, yet chose to go home. Crystal was fortunate that a neighbor came by and helped her with this situation, which easily could have turned into a tragedy.”
The NMCGA has long opposed the wolf reintroduction program for many reasons, not the least of which is the burden placed on residents of southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. The New Mexico Game Commission has withdrawn New Mexico’s participation in any facet of the program. Arizona’s Game Commission opposes any new wolf releases until proper recovery planning and environmental impact statements are complete. The rumor is that the White Mountain Apache Tribe has withdrawn their participation, as well.
“The economy of southwestern New Mexico has been decimated, ranching, hunting and outfitting businesses are struggling to survive, people can no longer feel safe in their own homes, and for what?,” Wilson asked. “There is still not a viable population of the Mexican Grey Wolf, and timetable for establishing one. We need to put an end to this huge waste of time, money and effort now.”
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Collared Wolf at Beaverhead
Crystal Diamond’s Encounter
Tuesday December 13, 2011
I returned home to Beaverhead after being gone for several days with my 2 young daughters, Cayden (age 3) and Reece (age 2). My husband was away from home and scheduled to return Thursday. On the drive back I had passed my father-in-law who informed me that a wolf had been sighted at our Beaverhead Headquarters earlier that morning in the horse corrals & harassing our peacocks. The wolf had been chased away.
Arriving at Beaverhead, I drove up to the main headquarters to speak with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) representatives already there. They stated that they were aware of the wolf sighting and would return in the morning. I drove directly to my home, reversing my truck up to the front porch. I unloaded both of my children from their car seats and placed them on the front porch which runs the entire length of my house. I began unloading groceries and luggage from the bed of my truck walking in and out of the house with the front door wide open. The dogs played rambunctiously around my vehicle and around the yard. I gave little attention to the commotion of the dogs and continued to unload my truck. My daughters were still outside when I walked back out my open front door to see my neighbor speeding up my driveway hollering out his window. He yelled for me to take the girls inside while pointing to the dogs who were roughhousing with a collared wolf no farther than 35 feet from my 2 year old daughter. I grabbed my girls and ran inside slamming the door behind us. My neighbor asked for a rifle to haze the wolf and took off running in its direction. Within minutes I heard a gunshot. I waited about 15 minutes before locking the children in the house and walking up over the hillside to locate my neighbor. I was yelling for him as loud as I could. Topping out over the hill approximately 100 yards from the house – I saw the wolf stopped and staring about 50 yards in front of me. Screaming, I ran as fast as I could back to the house. Apparently, as my neighbor ran up over the hill to haze the wolf she had circled back around, beating him back to the house. It was soon completely dark & we were unable to see any further than the glow of my porch lights. My neighbor instructed me to remain inside the house with my children and dogs and not to open the door at anytime during the night.
My overhead porch light, two motion lights, and a brightly lit holiday porch decoration were left on. Most of the inside lights were on, including our Christmas tree in the front window. Music played as the girls ran around the house up until bath time at 6:30 p.m. I had just placed them in the tub and walked directly to the recliner in the living room just feet from the front window. I was on the telephone when I looked over my shoulder to see the wolf staring back at me . . . her nose pressed against the window pane. I jumped up and stepped away from the window. She remained at the window watching me for just the few seconds before I ran out of the living room into the bathroom where my children were. I called my husband on his cell phone who at this time was on his way home. Throughout the evening my male border collie whimpered at the front door aggressively trying to get out. Both dogs paced the house on high alert all night. At my husband’s request, my neighbor returned to my house. He sat on my front porch with nothing but a blanket, camera, & gun in freezing temperatures until midnight when my husband returned home. At that time, they noted all the tracks on and around the front porch and attempted to preserve several tracks by placing bowls and cans over the prints. Preserving all the tracks would be impossible, as fresh snowfall began to cover the ground.
Wednesday December 14, 2011
Our neighbor returned to our house around 7:30am. Together with my husband, they went to take photographs of the wolf tracks they’d tried to preserve the night before. New wolf tracks in fresh snow were everywhere – all around the children’s play yard in the back of the house, leading up to and on the front porch, in the front yard, and in the driveway. Based of the location of tracks, they determined the wolf spent most of the night within 50 yards of the house.
USFWS, Catron County wolf investigator, and Catron County Commissioner all arrived around 8:00am. Using tracking devises, the wolf was determined to be with a quarter mile of the house. I was assured that the wolf would be removed.
Pressure from heavier-than-normal vehicle traffic and people on the ground, had pushed her as far as two miles from our house throughout the day.
Later that evening, the wolf was returning to our home and was put down by Wildlife Services. She was euthanized on private property 150 yards from my house. I was notified by Wildlife Service Officers that the wolf had been removed and would no longer pose a threat to me or my children. Words cannot express my overwhelming sense relief when I received the news.
My daughters and I had literally been held prisoner in our own home for over 24 hours. It’s difficult to describe the terror of a predator so fearless and eager to get in my home. My responsibility as a mother is to keep my children safe at all times. For a period of time, that God- Given Right was stripped away. The thought of “what might have been” consumes my every thought.
Thank you to USFWS for resolving this issue in a quick and effective manner. Thanks for the swift action of Wildlife Services and the professionalism of their officers. And most of all, thank you to a neighbor who placed the safety of my children above his own. Without his watchful eye, the events of my story may have very easily had an unforgivably tragic ending.
DNA samples confirm wolves killed Southwest Alaska teacher
By DAN JOLING
Last updated: December 6th, 2011 06:25 PM (PST)
At least two wolves chased down and killed a teacher who was jogging on a road last year outside a rural Alaska village, according to a report released Tuesday by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The body of Candice Berner, 32, a special education teacher originally from Slippery Rock, Pa., was found March 8, 2010, two miles outside Chignik Lake. The village is 474 miles southwest of Anchorage, on the Alaska Peninsula.
Biologists ruled out reasons for the attack other than aggression. Investigators found no evidence that the wolves had acted defensively or that Berner was carrying food. They found no kill site that wolves may have been defending, no indication that the wolves had become habituated to people, and no evidence of rabies.
“This appears to have been an aggressive, predatory attack that was relatively short in duration,” the report concluded.
Berner’s death by wolves was unprecedented in Alaska, but the animals were immediately suspected. The state medical examiner concluded that Berner died from animal mauling. Alaska State Troopers investigators found drag marks and wolf tracks around the body.
Eight wolves were culled in the aftermath. DNA from two wolves was confirmed on Berner’s body and clothing, including from one wolf not killed.
Chignik Lake, a village with just 73 residents, including 17 students, is off the road system; primary access is by airplane. Berner, a former gymnast, was hired by the Lake and Peninsula Borough School District to teach in multiple communities. She flew to Chignik Lake on the day of her death and spent time with students.
At 4-foot-10-inches and 115 pounds, Berner was fit and active. After school, she faxed her time sheet to the district, apparently changed into running clothes and jogged down the only road out of the community.
The road runs west along the side of a hill. A witness said her tracks made an abrupt reversal as the road curved, according to the state report.
Those tracks had been wiped out by the time investigators reached the village, but they said she may have started running back when she noticed the wolves traveling in the opposite direction or became alarmed at their behavior. The wind was blowing from the west, and the wolves may have detected her scent.
One or two wolves gave chase along the edge of the road, while another ran above the road and intercepted her. A depression in the snow with traces of blood on the road showed where Berner was first knocked down or fell. Investigators found a second depression 10 feet away, indicating she was knocked down or fell a second time.
Tracks suggested Berner struggled and crawled away, then was pulled downhill. The amount of blood suggested that by then, she was severely wounded. Investigators concluded she died in a clearing 30 feet from the road at a spot where snow melted in a 3-foot circle and a large blood stain was found.
“Tracks and markings in the snow indicated that the struggle with the wolves was brief and death occurred quickly,” the report said.
Her body was subsequently dragged out of the clearing 83 feet downhill into brush.
Four Chignik Lake residents returning home on snowmobiles saw blood on the road, and a man who walked off the road spotted Berner’s body. Later that night, a man who went to guard the body spotted a wolf nearby and saw that the body had been dragged 70 more feet downhill and that more of it had been eaten.
Alaska State Troopers told villagers to move the body to the village for safekeeping.
A Fish and Game Department biologist found nine sets of wolf tracks within a 30-foot radius of the body but the department concluded that four or fewer wolves were directly associated with the attack.
After the tragedy, when residents were unable to kill wolves, the Fish and Game Department decided to cull wolves within 30 miles of the village and killed eight. One adult female was killed March 26 within a mile of the village, and DNA from that animal, as well as at least one other wolf, was found on Berner’s body and clothing.
“The other wolf is unknown, as it was not one of the wolves culled near Chignik Lake,” the report said.
As many as three or four wolves may have left DNA evidence but that could not be confirmed by biologists.
Berner likely was listening to a portable music player as she ran, but that was not considered a factor contributing to her death because wolves travel almost silently and wind would have masked sounds.
If she suddenly reversed course after spotting wolves, the report said, a flight response or the appearance of one “could have elicited a predatory response by the wolves.”
Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/12/06/v-printerfriendly/1934931/dna-samples-confirm-wolves-killed.html#ixzz1fozGrEpA
AZ Game and Fish Mexican wolf update.
November 4, 2011
MEXICAN WOLF REINTRODUCTION PROJECT NEWS
Monthly Status Report: October 1-31, 2011
The following is a summary of Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project (Project) activities in Arizona on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests (ASNF) and Fort Apache Indian Reservation (FAIR) and in New Mexico on the Apache National Forest (ANF) and Gila National Forest (GNF). Non-tribal lands involved in this Project are collectively known as the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area (BRWRA). Additional Project 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 http://www.azgfd.gov/wolf or by visiting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website at http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf. Past updates may be viewed on either website, or interested parties may sign up to receive this update electronically by visiting http://www.azgfd.gov/signup. This update is a public document and information in it can be used for any purpose. The Reintroduction Project is a multi-agency cooperative effort among the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD), New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF), USDA Forest Service (USFS), USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (USDA-APHIS WS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the White Mountain Apache Tribe (WMAT). Other entities, including private individuals and nongovernmental organizations, cooperate through the Project’s Adaptive Management Work Group (AMWG) that meets periodically in Arizona and New Mexico.
To view weekly wolf telemetry flight location information or the 3-month wolf distribution map, please visit http://www.azgfd.gov/wolf. On the home page, go to the “Wolf Location Information” heading on the right side of the page near the top and scroll to the specific location information you seek.
Please report any wolf sightings or suspected livestock depredations to: (928) 339-4329 or toll free at (888) 459-9653. To report incidents of take or harassment of wolves, please call the AGFD 24-hour dispatch (Operation Game Thief) at (800) 352-0700.
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) indicate wolves younger than 24 months or pups. The capital letter “A” preceding the letter and number indicate alpha 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 alpha (dominant) wolves dies, the remaining alpha wolf, regardless of pack size, retains the pack status. The packs referenced in this update contain at least one wolf with a radio telemetry collar attached to it. 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
At the end of October 2011, the collared population consisted of 37 wolves with functional radio collars dispersed among eleven packs and four single wolves. Some other uncollared wolves are known to be associating with radio-collared wolves, and others are separate from known packs.
Seasonal note: In October, the IFT continued fall trapping efforts to document pack status and pup recruitment in several packs in the BRWRA. The IFT captured three new pups-of-the-year, two new yearlings and one new adult wolf this month, including fp1250 and fp1251 from the Dark Canyon Pack, m1252 and mp1249 from the San Mateo Pack, m1248 from the Hawks Nest Pack, and M1253 on the FAIR. IFT personnel also recaptured fp1247 from the Hawks Nest Pack and AF1056 from the Paradise Pack in October. The IFT will continue efforts to trap and collar wolves from the Willow Springs Pack in November.
IN ARIZONA:
Bluestem Pack (collared AM806, AF1042, mp1240 and mp1242)
Throughout October, the IFT located these wolves in their traditional territory in the central portion of the ASNF.
Hawks Nest Pack (collared M1038, m1248, f1208, mp1244 and fp1247)
In October, these wolves continued to use their traditional territory in the north-central portion of the ASNF. IFT personnel trapped and collared a yearling wolf, m1248, which was associated with this pack this month. Toward the end of the month, this wolf began to disperse from other pack members, and was located alone outside of the traditional Hawks Nest Pack territory in the northern portion of the ASNF. The IFT documented five wolves with this pack at the end of October, consisting of four collared wolves and one uncollared pup.
Rim Pack (collared AM1107, AF858 and F1213)
Throughout October, the IFT located the Rim Pack utilizing its summer range in the central portion of the ASNF.
Paradise Pack (collared AM795, AF1056, mp1243 and mp1245)
In October, these wolves utilized the traditional summer range of their territory in the northern portion of the ASNF. IFT personnel were able to trap and recollar AF1056 this month.
ON THE FAIR:
M1183 (collared)
During October, the IFT located this wolf on the FAIR.
M1253 (collared)
In October, IFT personnel were able to trap and collar this wolf on the FAIR as part of routine fall trapping efforts.
IN NEW MEXICO:
Dark Canyon (collared AM992, AF923, fp1250 and fp1251)
Throughout October, the IFT located the Dark Canyon Pack within its traditional territory in the west-central portion of the GNF. The IFT trapped and collared two new pups-of-the-year with this pack this month.
Fox Mountain Pack (collared M1158 and F1188)
Throughout October, the IFT documented these wolves together in the northwest portion of the GNF. The IFT has been unable to document the presence of any pups with this pack this month.
Luna Pack (collared AF1115, F1246 and mp1241)
In October, the IFT located the Luna Pack within its traditional territory in the north-central portion of the GNF.
Middle Fork Pack (collared AM871 and AF861)
In October, the IFT located AM871 and AF861 within their traditional territory in the central portion of the GNF.
Morgart’s Pack (collared M1155)
Throughout October, the IFT documented this wolf traveling in the central portion of the GNF.
San Mateo Pack (collared AM1157, AF903, m1252, f1212 and mp1249)
During October, the IFT located these wolves in the traditional San Mateo Pack territory in the north-central portion of the GNF. IFT personnel captured and collared two new wolves, mp1249 and m1252, from this pack this month.
Willow Springs Pack (collared M1185)
Throughout October, the IFT located this wolf in the north-central portion of the GNF. The IFT confirmed the presence of another single wolf traveling with M1185 in October, and these two wolves are now named the Willow Springs Pack.
F1105 (collared)
At the end of October, the IFT located this wolf in the central portion of the GNF. The IFT continued efforts to document the presence of the one remaining hybrid pup which this wolf produced this past spring; however, no evidence of the pup has been found.
f1211 (collared)
During October, the IFT documented this wolf traveling through the north-central portion of the GNF.
MORTALITIES
No wolf mortalities were documented this month.
INCIDENTS
During October, IFT personnel investigated three livestock depredation incidents in the BRWRA. None of the incidents involved Mexican wolves.
On October 9, WS personnel investigated at least eleven dead yearlings in the vicinity of Canyon del Buey on the GNF. The cause of death was determined to be complications associated with transportation of the cattle to the grazing allotment. The carcasses were covered with lime to reduce their palatability to scavengers in the area.
On October 18, WS personnel investigated a dead cow near Sand Flat on the GNF. The cause of death was determined to be organ failure.
On October 24, WS personnel investigated a dead cow on the FAIR. The cause of death was undetermined, but not attributable to predation.
CAPTIVE MANAGEMENT
No significant activity occurred this month.
COMMUNICATION AND COORDINATION
On October 8, Jeff Dolphin presented a Project overview to 40 wildlife management students and associated class instructors from the University of Arizona and Arizona State University at the Sipe Wildlife Area.
On October 8, Melissa Kreutzian presented a Project overview to 40 individuals at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge.
On October 22, Melissa Kreutzian and staff from the USFWS Regional Office presented a Project overview and Mexican wolf information at the Rio Grande Zoo during Wolf Awareness Week.
PROJECT PERSONNEL
Janess Vartanian, rejoined the Project as a temporary FWS technician this month. Janess worked for several years previously on the Project as a biologist for the AGFD, and we are fortunate to have her back.
After almost 30 years of involvement in efforts to reintroduce Mexican wolves back into the southwestern United States, Terry Johnson, endangered species coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, is calling it a career. Terry has been instrumental in almost all aspects of reintroduction activities, and his dedication to the involvement of all stakeholders in the process of Mexican wolf reintroduction and management has been a hallmark of his time with the Project. Terry will remain involved in policy issues for AGFD on a part-time basis. Thank you, Terry, for all of your efforts and dedication to the return of Mexican wolves to the Southwestern landscape. Your guidance and insight will be sorely missed!
REWARDS OFFERED
The USFWS is offering a reward of up to $10,000; the AGFD 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 an additional $46,000 for a total reward amount of up to $58,000, 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; AGFD Operation Game Thief at (800) 352-0700; or NMDGF Operation Game Thief at (800) 432-4263. 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.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes that they have been discriminated against in any of the AGFD’s programs or activities, including employment practices, they may file a complaint with the Deputy Director, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000, (602) 942-3000, or with the Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfax Dr. Ste. 130, Arlington, VA 22203. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation or this document in an alternative format by contacting the Deputy Director as listed above.
Extremists file another EAJA funded lawsuit. Lawsuit Launched to Protect Mexican Gray Wolves From Leghold Traps
For Immediate Release, August 17, 2011
Contact: Michael Robinson, (575) 534-0360
Lawsuit Launched to Protect Mexican Gray Wolves From Leghold Traps
New Mexico Officials Approved Traps, Ignoring Injured and Killed Wolves
SILVER CITY, N.M.— The Center for Biological Diversity today filed a formal notice of intent to sue the New Mexico State Game Commission and New Mexico Department of Game and Fish over the commission’s recent vote to resume recreational trapping in the Gila National Forest, where federally protected, endangered Mexican gray wolves live. Besides being listed under the Endangered Species Act, the wolves are also listed as endangered under state law.
“With only 50 animals and just two breeding pairs surviving in the wild, Mexican wolves can’t afford more losses to these cruel leghold traps,” said the Center’s Michael Robinson. “Responsible hunters know their targets, but trapping is indiscriminate. And while hunters aim for a clean and quick kill, trapped wolves can suffer debilitating and even fatal injuries while struggling to get free.”
A recent report disclosed that, since wolf reintroduction began in 1998, five Mexican wolves have sustained injuries — including some requiring foot and leg amputations — and two other wolves have died as a result of trapping by private parties in the Gila National Forest. This does not include wolves trapped by federal officials on behalf of the livestock industry, which has not occurred since 2007 and is not at issue in today’s notice.
Recreational trapping in the Gila National Forest was halted by the game commission in November 2010 to protect endangered wolves. But on July 21, upon recommendation of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the game commission voted to allow trapping in the Gila to resume, while misrepresenting the report documenting the five wolf injuries and two fatalities to trapping as somehow providing justification.
The Endangered Species Act was signed into law in 1973 to conserve imperiled species and their ecosystems; it specifically bans trapping of endangered animals. Yet the Game Commission and Department’s recent decision authorizes trapping that is known to capture protected wolves, causing illegal “take” (harassment, harm or killing) to occur.
While the 1998 federal rule authorizing reintroduction of Mexican gray wolves allowed some “accidental” trapping of wolves, trapping a wolf within its known range “will not be considered unavoidable, accidental, or unintentional take, unless due care was exercised to avoid taking a wolf.” In allowing trapping again, the game commission has not exercised due care.
Interesting wolf news in the New Mexico area
February
On February 7, WS personnel investigated a dead calf and severely injured cow just outside of the BRWRA near Canovas Creek in New Mexico, close to the Arizona border. The owner euthanized the cow shortly after both animals were discovered. The incident was confirmed as a wolf depredation, and the wolf responsible for the incident was F1105.
On February 8, WS personnel investigated five steers that had been attacked on private land outside of the BRWRA, north of Quemado, New Mexico. One of the steers died as a result of the attack, while the other four sustained severe injuries. WS personnel confirmed this incident as a wolf depredation, and the wolf or wolves responsible were determined to be uncollared animals. The IFT initiated trapping efforts in the area; however, no wolves were captured.
( interestingly enough, FWS never seem to be able to capture or confirm much less investigate uncollared wolves. Especially based on a ranchers sighting. This has been an ongoing problem for about 3 years.)
April
F1105 (collared) In April, the IFT documented this wolf traveling alone through the northern portions of the GNF. Last month, the IFT documented this wolf repeatedly traveling near and onto a private elk farm in the northern portions of the GNF, potentially interacting with domestic dogs in the vicinity. The IFT initiated trapping efforts to capture this wolf and perform an inspection regarding its breeding status. F1105 localized in the last part of April in the northern portion of the GNF and efforts to capture the wolf are still ongoing.
May
F1105 (collared) In April, the IFT documented this wolf traveling alone through the northern portions of the GNF. Last month, the IFT documented this wolf repeatedly traveling near and onto a private elk farm in the northern portions of the GNF, potentially interacting with domestic dogs in the vicinity. The IFT initiated trapping efforts to capture this wolf and perform an inspection regarding its breeding status. F1105 localized in the last part of April in the northern portion of the GNF and efforts to capture the wolf are still ongoing.
June/July
On May 6, the IFT responded to a report of an injured or sick wolf observed outside of Reserve, New Mexico. They captured an uncollared wolf, and a FWS veterinarian examined it in the field. The wolf died during transport to a veterinary facility in Arizona. An investigation into the cause of death is pending. INCIDENTS
Morgart’s Pack (collared M1155) Throughout June, the IFT documented this wolf traveling through the central portions of the GNF. The IFT obtained information this month that confirms that M1155 is now traveling with another wolf.
F1105 (collared) In June, the IFT documented this wolf traveling alone through the northern portions of the GNF. Earlier this spring, the IFT implemented capture operations to assist in determining the breeding status of this wolf. During trapping efforts in May, the IFT located a den with five pups. IFT personnel inspected the pups at the den site and collected blood samples for analysis to determine their genetic makeup. Tests indicated the pups were the result of the female breeding with a domestic dog. IFT personnel returned to the den, removed the four pups present, and humanely euthanized them. The IFT has confirmed that this wolf is traveling with a pup-sized canid in June, and efforts to capture this wolf have continued this month.
PROJECT PERSONNEL
The IFT is disappointed to announce that Ellen Heilhecker and Mischa Larisch from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish will no longer be working on the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project. Ellen has been with the Project since 2007, and has worked diligently during that time to further Mexican wolf recovery goals in New Mexico. Mischa has been with the Project for just over a year, and has provided a solid field presence working proactively with livestock producers to reduce conflicts on the ground. Many thanks to both of you for your efforts. You will be missed!