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Update courtesy Patrick C. Valentino of the Julian Wolf Preserve
This is a brief summary of current information about the Mexican wolf reintroduction for the interested public. Additional copies of this update and other information can be obtained bycalling (505) 248-6664 or (520) 367-4281. Call the toll-free number at (888) 459-9653 to report suspected livestock depredation or incidents of take or harassment of wolves. The reintroduction is a multi-agency cooperative effort (US Fish & Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, USDA-Wildlife Services, US Forest Service).
The pair was monitored in the backcountry for eight days during this report period. Field staff found several scats to be analyzed and a female elk that had been fed upon and possibly killed by the wolves. Howling was heard on June 10; no pup howls or tracks were documented, thus it looks unlikely that this pair reproduced successfully this year.
The pair and their three pups released on June 3 remain near the Campbell Blue pen and are being fed supplementally. We are initiating a night monitoring regime to try to learn more about movements and activities of the adults. During the hot summer months, all the wolves have been very sedentary during daylight hours.
Sign in the den drainage confirmed the presence of pups on June 18. The number of pups is not yet known. This is the second positive confirmation of Mexican wolf pups born in the wild since inception of the project in March 1998. On June 14, observers reported seeing the wolves chasing an elk during a routine fixed-wing telemetry flight. Biologists did not find signs of an elk kill when they returned the following day to investigate, but did find a dead domestic cow in a pasture used by the Pipestem wolves that had died after becoming entangled in a barbed-wire fence. The remains of two calves (not belonging to this cow) were found in the same area on June 15 and 16. Coyote and wolf sign were found near all three carcasses, but there was not enough evidence to ascertain the cause of death for any of the animals.
Telemetry monitoring indicated that the wolves returned to the pasture several times after the incident, probably feeding on the remains. USDA Wildlife Services investigated a complaint to be a lion kill. On June 25, biologists observed the Pipestem adults harassing a cow defending her calf while standing in a stock tank. Biologists hazed the wolves from the area. The wolves visited the ranch where they have been harassing dogs on June 26, but no altercations between dogs and wolves occurred. Wildlife Services investigated a complaint from this ranch of a dead calf on June 28. The calf had been consumed mostly and there was insufficient evidence to determine a cause of death. Project personnel are monitoring the wolves at least every four hours, 24 hours per day to prevent or verify depredation so that appropriate management actions can be taken. All confirmed and unconfirmed losses of livestock have been referred to Defenders of Wildlife for possible compensation.
The three members of the Gavilan pack and their five pups remain in the Horse Springs Canyon area and appear to be doing fine. Nine days were spent in the backcountry monitoring this pack during this reporting period. We continue to supplementally feed this pack.
The Mule Pack (two adults and four pups) continues to frequent the area where they were released and are being fed supplementally. On the evening of June 27, project personnel observed the alpha female on Highway 191 on two occasions. On June 29, the adult pair traveled over seven miles to the same ranch where the Pipestem wolves have been interacting with dogs. Project personnel spent nearly 12 hours monitoring and hazing the wolves away from the dog pens before the wolves abandoned the area.
Patrick C. Valentino, Esq
Phone: (619) 236-9060
Fax: (619) 236-9093
email: corporatecounsel@connectnet.com