Mexican Wolf Recovery Program Update

The following is a summary of Mexican Wolf Recovery Program activities in the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area (MWEPA) in Arizona, including the Fort Apache Indian Reservation (FAIR), San Carlos Apache Reservation (SCAR), and New Mexico. Additional Program information can be obtained by calling (928) 339-4329 or toll free at (888) 459-9653, or by visiting the Arizona Game And Fish Department website at http://www.azgfd.gov/wolf, or by visiting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website at fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf.

For information on the FAIR, call (928) 338-4385 ext. 226 or visit wmatoutdoor.org. Past updates may be viewed at these websites. Interested parties may sign up to receive this update electronically by visiting azgfd.gov and clicking on the E-news Signup tab on the top left corner of the webpage. This update is a public document and information in it can be used for any purpose.

The Mexican Wolf Recovery Program is a multi-agency cooperative effort among the Arizona Game And Fish Department (AZGFD), New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF), USDA Forest Service (USFS), USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (WS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), White Mountain Apache Tribe (WMAT), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the U.S. National Park Service (NPS).

To View Semi-Monthly Wolf Location Information, Please Visit Https://Arcg.Is/Blypo.

Please report any wolf sightings or suspected livestock depredations to the Alpine wolf office (928) 339-4329, Pinetop wolf office (928) 532-2391 or toll free at (888) 459-9653. For sightings or suspected depredations on the FAIR, please call the WMAT wolf office in Whiteriver at (928) 338-4385 ext. 226. To report incidents of take or harassment of wolves, please call the AZGFD 24-hour dispatch (Operation Game Thief) at (800) 352-0700.

Overall Mexican Wolf Recovery Program Quarterly Updates

The Arizona and New Mexico Game and Fish Departments, as well as both Regions 2 and 6 of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have met several times with Colorado Parks and Wildlife in a collaborative effort to manage the potential impact of northern gray wolves from Colorado’s restoration program entering in the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area (MWEPA) and introducing northern wolf genetics into the unique Mexican wolf genome. This continues to be a very collaborative effort.

Numbering System: Mexican wolves are given an identification number recorded in an official studbook that tracks their history. Capital letters (M = Male, F = Female) preceding the number indicate adult animals 24 months or older. Lower case letters (m = male, f = female) are used to indicate wolves younger than 24 months. A lowercase letter “p” preceding the number is used to indicate a wolf pup born in the most recent spring. The capital letter “A” preceding the letter and number indicates breeding wolves.

Definitions: A “wolf pack” is defined as two or more wolves that maintain an established territory. In the event that one of the two breeding (dominant) wolves dies, the remaining breeding wolf, regardless of pack size, retains the pack status. The packs referenced in this update contain at least one wolf wearing a radio telemetry collar. The Interagency Field Team (IFT) recognizes that wolves without radio telemetry collars may also form packs. If the IFT confirms that wolves are associating with each other and are resident within the same home range, they will be referenced as a pack.