A female Mexican wolf was captured north of Interstate 40 on U.S. Forest Service lands near Flagstaff, Arizona, last week. The wolf, identified as F2979, was collared and released back into the wild to aid in locating and capturing another wolf known to be in the area.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated capture efforts following reports of wolf sightings. USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services captured F2979 northwest of Flagstaff. She underwent a health check and was fitted with a radio collar before being released back into the wild.
F2979’s movements are being closely monitored with the hope that she will help locate a second Mexican wolf seen nearby. If it is determined that both wolves have localized north of I-40, they 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. Consequently, livestock owners and the public cannot haze or harass wolves north of I-40 without violating the Act unless the wolf poses an active threat to human safety. Anyone convicted of killing, harming, or harassing an endangered Mexican wolf is subject to fines and/or criminal charges.
