Williams, Arizona (AZ Family) — Federal and state officials, as well as conservation groups, are asking for the public’s help after a federally protected Mexican wolf was found dead near Flagstaff earlier this month.
A female Mexican wolf known as Hope and tagged “F2979” was found dead nearby on November 7th. Forest Service Road 2058 and East Spring Valley Roadapproximately 6 miles northeast of State Route 64 and Spring Valley Road in Williams.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) It has not been revealed how she died. However, it said, “mortality rates were not related to the agency’s management actions.”
Officials said she was first recorded earlier this year outside the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area (MWEPA) north of Interstate 40 near Flagstaff. She was captured and fitted with a GPS collar. released back into the wild In July.
“In every photo of Hope we saw, her collar was clearly visible. If she was shot, the gunman had to know she wasn’t a coyote.” said New Mexico State Director Cindy Tuell. Western Basin Project. “If someone murdered Hope, they took her away from our human society, which found inspiration and joy in her presence, and from our non-human society, which found inspiration and joy in her existence. The full burden of federal and state law should be imposed on individuals. It depends on top predators to bring balance to the landscape.”
Hope leaves the MWEPA again and is seen traveling with another Mexican wolf named Mystery. In October, FWS began a search to bring them back, but they later found Hope dead. Officials don’t know what happened to the other Mexican wolf.
Hope was at the center of a legal battle last month, with conservation groups suing the state to leave her and Mystery alone instead of returning them to designated areas.
“The wolves themselves are showing us what they need and where they want to be, so why not let them go there?” one Greta Anderson told her Arizona family in October.
The FWS says killing a Mexican wolf violates state law and the federal Endangered Species Act, which could result in up to one year in prison and a criminal fine of up to $50,000.
The agency is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to a conviction in this case. The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Operation Game Thief and the New Mexico Game and Fish Department are also offering rewards of up to $1,000 each.
In addition, conservation groups and others have pledged up to $51,500 in additional funding for a total of $103,000.
“Hope embodied the dreams of many here in Flagstaff, including school children.” who named herWolves can return to the Grand Canyon region and restore balance to nature,” said Southwest Director Taylor McKinnon. biodiversity center. “Anyone with information about this senseless death should report it so our elk-filled forests can once again thrive with the wolves that belong here.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Pinetop at (346) 254-0515. Tips can also be provided to the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Operation Game Thief at (800) 352-0700.
FWS says Mexican wolves were common in the Southwest until they were nearly extinct from the wild in the 1970s “due to conflicts with livestock.”
After the Mexican wolf was listed as an endangered species in 1976, a federal program was put in place to save them from extinction, and in 1999, FWS introduced the first captive Mexican wolf to the MWEPA in Arizona and New Mexico. I let go.
Arizona Game and Fish said state officials have been actively working to reintroduce Mexican wolves into parts of their historic range for decades. Learn more about the program on the state’s website..
Was there a spelling or grammatical error in your story? Click here to report.
Have a breaking news photo or video? Send it to us that’s for us here Comes with a simple explanation.
Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
