A lone, endangered Mexican gray wolf has been tracked traveling over the interstate into New Mexico in search of a mate.
The lone Mexican wolf, which is GPS collared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), had left its pack behind in Arizona and traveled all the way to Las Vegas in New Mexico, Albuquerque TV station KRQE reported.
It traveled around 30 miles per day and roamed over the east mountains. After crossing the Interstate 40, she arrived near Santa Rosa, New Mexico, an FWS spokesperson told the news outlet.
The Mexican wolf is the rarest subspecies of wolf in the U.S and Mexico. They used to be abundant throughout the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, but were largely wiped out in the 1970s. Today, they are only found in the grasslands and mountainous forests of Arizona and New Mexico. In particular, they are under threat from a lack of genetic diversity in the species, which means they have lower reproductive success.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service keeps a close eye on the species to track the population. The service launched a Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery and Conservation Program in spring 2021, which aims to restore the species to its original range throughout the southwest United States and Mexico.
This particular wolf is a one-year-old female born as part of the recovery plan, KRQE reported.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service believes she is looking for a mate, but as she moves further north, the likelihood of her finding one is diminishing.
"If she stays up in this area, where there are no other wolves, she is not contributing to recovery," Brady McGee, Mexican wolf recovery coordinator at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told KRQE.
Newsweek has asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for comment.
Lone wolves typically leave their pack to mate or to find food.
In 2021, an estimated 144 Mexican wolf pups were born, and wildlife officials believe at least 56 survived until the end of the year.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is concerned that if the young female travels even further north, she could come into contact with northern gray wolves. If the two were to mate, it would set back recovery efforts, as Mexican Gray wolves have a very unique set of DNA.
It is possible that officials will track down and capture the wolf, in order to bring her back to Arizona or Mexico, where the recovery plan in under way.
Even after the wolves mate, it is difficult to sustain the population. Mexican wolf pups are incredibly vulnerable, and according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there is about a 50 percent chance they see their second year. Their survival largely depends on the availability of prey in the area.
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Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more
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