The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners are offering a combined reward of up to $37,000 for information leading to an arrest in connection with the suspicious deaths of two endangered Mexican gray wolves near Pinetop, Arizona.
Wildlife managers recovered the bodies of the wolves off Porter Mountain Road in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest on March 22 and 23, 2020. If anyone saw a vehicle that was stopped or driving slowly off the Porter Mountain Road in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest or has any information that could be helpful in finding the person(s) responsible for the deaths of these wolves, please contact the Arizona Game and Fish Department at 1-800-352-0700, or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 1-844-FWS-TIPS (397-8477). Persons reporting information may remain anonymous.
“Each of these endangered wolves deserves a chance to survive in the wild,” said Amy Lueders, Regional Director for the Service in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “Our law enforcement officers are actively working with the Arizona Game and Fish Department to conduct a comprehensive investigation into these suspicious deaths. These investigations are extensive, and wolf poachers have faced, and will continue to face, serious criminal consequences.”
The Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project is a cooperative effort administered by seven co-lead agencies: Arizona Game and Fish Department, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, White Mountain Apache Tribe, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA Wildlife Services, U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
These agencies function as an adaptive management oversight committee. This management approach provides opportunities for participation by local governments, non-governmental organizations and individuals from all segments of the public.
More introduction regarding the Service’s Mexican wolf recovery effort is available here: https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/.
More information about how to report wildlife crime can be found here: https://www.fws.gov/refuges/lawEnforcement/report-wildlife-crimes.php.
