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On Monday,
May 9th, 2005 between 6 and 7 a.m., a
Mexican wolf was found dead alongside
Highway 60 East of Vernon, Arizona. A
preliminary investigation indicates the
wolf had been feeding on a road-killed elk
on the shoulder of the road.
The
Service would like to hear from any
individuals who may have seen suspicious
activities, saw a vehicle parked beside
Hwy 60 during the timeframe or actually
saw the wolf. A reward of up to $10,000
is offered for information leading to the
apprehension of the individual or
individuals responsible for the wolf's
death.
Individuals with information that may be
helpful in solving this crime should call
the Service's law enforcement office at
928-333-5245 or the Arizona Department of
Game and Fish's Operation Game Thief at
1-800-352-0700. Callers will remain
anonymous.
Killing a
Mexican Gray Wolf is a violation of the
federal Endangered Species Act and can
invoke criminal penalties up to $50,000
and / or up to one year in jail or civil
penalties of up to $25,000.
The wolf
has been identified as the Iris Pack Alpha
Male 798. Its remains have been sent to
the Service's forensic laboratory to
confirm the cause of death. The results
are pending.
The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal
Federal agency responsible for conserving,
protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife
and plants and their habitats for the
continuing benefit of the American people.
The Service manages the 95-million-acre
National Wildlife Refuge System, which
encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges,
thousands of small wetlands and other
special management areas. It also operates
69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery
resources offices and 81 ecological
services field stations. The agency
enforces federal wildlife laws,
administers the Endangered Species Act,
manages migratory bird populations,
restores nationally significant fisheries,
conserves and restores wildlife habitat
such as wetlands, and helps foreign and
Native American tribal governments with
their conservation efforts. It also
oversees the Federal Assistance program,
which distributes hundreds of millions of
dollars in excise taxes on fishing and
hunting equipment to state fish and
wildlife agencies.
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Wisconsin gray wolf population
up 14 percent
The Associated Press
WAUSAU — A new estimate shows
Wisconsin’s gray wolf population may
have grown to as many as 455 animals.
That far
exceeds the goal set by state game
managers and raises concerns about more
conflicts between the predators and
humans.
“We are glad the wolf population is
doing well,” Adrian Wydeven, coordinator
of the wolf program for the state
Department of Natural Resources, said
Wednesday. “We are concerned there are
some wolves in packs spreading into some
areas where they are causing more
problems.”
The latest estimate indicates the
wolf population grew 14 percent in a
year and is nearly 100 over the DNR’s
management goal for the species.
The DNR
said that in 2004, wolves killed
livestock on 22 farms, compared with 14
farms in 2003 and eight in 2002. Last
year, 24 problem wolves were legally
killed, compared with 17 in 2003. The
agency has permits to kill up to 34 this
year.
“I think we have lost some public
support already because of the growth of
the population,” Wydeven said in a
telephone interview from Park Falls. “I
believe there has been some erosion of
tolerance. There is some risk that
illegal killing (of wolves) could
increase.”
For
example, a pair of collared wolves in
northeastern Wisconsin were illegally
killed, he said. “That is kind of
unusual. Normally, an illegal kill will
hit only one member of a pack.”
Based on late winter surveys, 425 to 455
wolves now roam in 108 packs mainly in
the northern and central forest regions,
the DNR said.
A
year ago, the DNR estimated there were
373 to 410 wolves, also in 108 packs.
Eric Koens, who has a herd of about 100
beef cattle in Rusk County and is a
director with the Wisconsin Cattlemen’s
Association, said big problems loom
because northern Wisconsin keeps losing
wolf habitat to development at the same
time the wolf population is growing.
“You
see them all over. They are like stray
dogs,” he said. “People cannot even let
their dog out to take a leak at night.
They are attacked and killed. It is a
sad situation.”
The DNR’s original wolf recovery plan in
1989 called for a self-sustaining
population of 80 wolves and that’s all
the state needs, Koens said.
The
DNR bases the estimate on aerial surveys
that track 35 packs with radio-collared
wolves, snow track surveys done by DNR
trackers and volunteers over thousands
of miles and reports of wolf sightings
by the general public.
The
estimate does not include the wolf pups
that would have been born in April.
Wydeven said Wisconsin’s habitat could
support at least 100 to 200 more wolves,
but the public’s tolerance probably
wouldn’t allow it.
Dave
Withers of Iron River, chairman of the
wolf committee of the Wisconsin Bear
Hunters Association, said many people
believe the DNR’s population estimate is
too conservative, and public support for
wolves is eroding.
“There
will be more people illegally killing
wolves than there were before to protect
their livestock and their hunting dogs,”
Withers said.
“There
is a general feeling among a lot of the
residents in the areas where wolves live
that they just don’t like wolves.”
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