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Note there is no evidence whatsoever that these
deaths were all shootings or that the shootings up until now were in
any way related or more than accidental. There is no evidence
that ranchers had anything t do with any of them or that any or most
of them occurred on active livestock operations.
Environmentalists fear worst in deaths of gray wolvesBy Thomas StaufferARIZONA DAILY STAR Four endangered Mexican gray wolves have been found dead since Sept. 15 - a rash of mortalities that rivals any period since the animals were reintroduced to Arizona and New Mexico in 1998. While the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will not list causes of death until necropsies have been performed, environmentalists fear all four wolves were either purposely or accidentally shot. "There are two potential scenarios," said Craig Miller, Southwest director for Defenders of Wildlife. "Either there is a calculated effort to sabotage the program, or there is a serious coincidence of mistaken identities, hunters mistaking wolves for coyotes." Miller said Dave Parsons, a former wolf recovery coordinator for Fish and Wildlife, found the most recent wolf carcass Sunday while camping in the Gila Wilderness area of western New Mexico. He said hunters reported hearing gunshots about an hour before he found the dead animal, identified as the alpha male of the Gapiwi Pack. Three of the four wolves reported dead have been found in New Mexico. The other wolf was found just across the state line in Southeastern Arizona, Miller said. Miller said the spate of deaths is an all-too-common phenomenon at this time of year - the beginning of the hunting season for big game in New Mexico. "The season just started for elk and deer, but you can kill coyote any time," Miller said. "A simple solution, if hunters are incapable of identifying what species they're shooting, would be to close coyote season during big-game season in wolf-occupied areas." A spokeswoman for Fish and Wildlife said she would not comment on speculation that the dead wolves had been mistaken for coyotes until necropsies had been completed. The service offers rewards of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of anyone found responsible for shooting a wolf, said spokeswoman Victoria Fox. A New Mexico rancher said she doubted all four dead wolves had been shot, but added that "people may be aggravated that they can't get an elk anymore." "They pay big bucks for a permit and there is not much elk in the Gila anymore, because there is pretty stiff competition from the wolves," said Laura Schneberger, president of the Gila Livestock Growers Association. If the four dead wolves were indeed shot, that would bring the total number killed by humans to 18 since 1998, not counting four wolves killed by hit-and-run drivers, said Michael Robinson, a spokesman for the Center for Biological Diversity in Piņos Altos, N.M. Nine wolves have died while being captured, and another wolf was intentionally shot by the service, Robinson said. "That's not counting the dozens of wolves that weren't causing any problems, but for whatever reason were relocated by Fish and Wildlife into areas that eventually resulted in their deaths." As of the end of August, the service identified 27 radio-collared wolves and estimated that an additional 10 to 15 wolves, not counting pups born this year, live in the recovery area established in Eastern Arizona and western New Mexico. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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