Two Mexican wolves killed in June

Are wolf killers targeting alpha males?

Federal authorities are investigating the recent shooting death of a Mexican wolf in Arizona, and the suspicious death of another in New Mexico. Both were alpha males of their packs. The collared alpha male of a third pack, the Paradise pack that roamed the Fort Apache Reservation in Arizona, has been missing since mid-April.

Authorities found the body of the alpha male of the Hawks Nest Pack on Friday, June 18 in Arizona. The pack traditionally uses the area east of Big Lake on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests as its spring-summer breeding territory. The wolf died due to a gunshot wound and was discovered in an area that is regularly used for public travel on the Forests.

With the number of Mexican wolves in the wild so low--42 at the end of 2009--every loss is tragic, and even more so in this case. The pack has seven pups born in May. New pups require constant attention and food from the other pack members to survive. The loss of the alpha male will make it more difficult for the remaining pack members to provide for the pups. Worse, the Hawks Nest pack has a long track record of avoiding livestock in favor of wild prey like elk and deer. Researchers know that hunting behavior in wolves is passed on from one generation to the next. The loss of its alpha male threatens the pack’s tradition of avoiding livestock.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed that another wolf, the alpha male of the San Mateo Pack, was found dead under suspicious circumstances last week in New Mexico. The San Mateo Pack, which consisted of an alpha male and female, had been observed traveling in the north-central portion of the Gila National Forest.

SWEC and other conservation groups are offering a reward of up to $40,000 for the arrest and conviction of anyone for the illegal killing of a Mexican wolf. In addition, federal and state agencies are offering an additional $11,000.