Wildlife officials “mistakenly” killed a pregnant Mexican gray wolf in Arizona as it was working to remove a wolf that may have been harming livestock.
The environmental group Sierra Club said Wednesday that wildlife officials were carrying out a removal order for the Bear Canyon pack in eastern Arizona following a series of livestock injuries and deaths.
“It is our intent not to remove the breeding female (wearing a nonfunctioning radio collar) who will likely whelp a new litter of pups soon,” the order from early April 2025 read.
However, that pregnant female was “mistakenly lethally removed” on April 14, officials said. The removal order has since been closed.
Environmental advocates are demanding a full investigation and possible charges for negligence after the apparent accidental shooting.
The Mexican gray wolf is an endangered subspecies of the gray wolf whose numbers in the Southwest dwindled dangerously close to extinction before efforts to bring it back under the 1973 Endangered Species Act. The last known wild Mexican gray wolves were captured in the late 1970s, and the gradual recovery began with seven of the animals being successfully bred in captivity.
Late last year, officials put out a request for information and a large reward offer after the apparent killing of a Mexican gray wolf near Flagstaff.
"Killing a Mexican wolf is a violation of state law and the Federal Endangered Species Act and can result in criminal penalties of up to $50,000, and/or not more than one year in jail, and/or a civil penalty of up to $25,000," a release from The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.
