FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A large monetary reward is available for information on a Mexican gray wolf recently found dead northwest of Flagstaff.
Up to $103,000 is available for info leading to a prosecution in the case of a female wolf found deceased on Nov. 7 near Forest Service Road 2058 and East Spring Valley Road, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Officials did not release the cause of death except to say that it was "not related to agency management actions.”
If someone deliberately killed the wolf, known as Hope, “the full weight of the federal and state law should be brought to bear” against anyone responsible, Cyndi Tuell, Arizona and New Mexico director of the Western Watersheds Project said in a statement.
Mexican gray wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Killing a Mexican wolf can result in criminal penalties of up to $50,000, and/or up to one year in jail, seizure of firearms, vehicles, and buildings involved in the crime, along with a potential civil penalty of up to $25,000.
Mexican gray wolves were listed as an endangered species in the 1970s, resulting in the creation of a breeding program to boost the wolf population in the Southwest.
Wildlife officials said the wolf was first documented outside of the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area north of Interstate 40 near Flagstaff in the early summer of 2024.
“If the investigation into Hope’s death reveals that a person killed her, we expect the Arizona Game and Fish Department to advocate for justice for Hope,” Sandy Bahr, director for Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter, said in a statement.
Anyone with information can contact 346-254-0515 or the Game and Fish Department at 800-352-0700.
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