A female Mexican wolf was captured north of Interstate 40 on U.S. Forest Service lands near Flagstaff, Arizona, last week. The wolf (F2979) was collared and released back into the wild in support of efforts to locate and capture an additional wolf known to be in the area.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated capture efforts after wolf sightings were reported. USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services captured F2979 northwest of Flagstaff. She was given a health check and affixed with a radio collar before being released back into the wild.
F2979’s movements are being closely monitored in the hopes she will help locate a second Mexican wolf seen in the vicinity. If it is determined that both wolves have localized north of I-40, the pair will be translocated south back into the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area (MWEPA) in accordance with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s current recovery permit.
Mexican wolves that move outside the MWEPA, including north of I-40, are listed and protected as federally endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Therefore, livestock owners and the public cannot haze or harass wolves north of I-40 without violating the Act, unless the wolf actively poses a threat to human safety. Anyone convicted of killing, harming, or harassing an endangered Mexican wolf is subject to a fine and/or criminal charges.
The Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team has notified a U.S. Forest Service permittee in the area. The Arizona Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are asking that any sightings of wolves be reported by calling (888) 459-9653.
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