US senator proposes ending protections for Mexican gray wolf

FILE - In this undated file photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a Mexican gray wolf leaves cover at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro County, N.M. Mexican gray wolves which once roamed parts of the American Southwest and northern Mexico would be removed from the list of federally protected species under legislation proposed by U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake. The Arizona Republican introduced the measure last week. He's a critic of the Mexican gray wolf recovery plan that was adopted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in November, calling it a regulatory nightmare for ranchers and rural communities. 

 The Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Federal authorities are investigating the death of a Mexican gray wolf as wildlife managers prepare for an annual survey of the endangered species along the Arizona-New Mexico border.

Officials with the wolf recovery effort announced Tuesday that a female wolf was found dead in December in Arizona. They declined to release more information, saying the case is still under investigation.

For 2017, there were a total of 12 documented wolf deaths and one removal of a wolf from the wild that resulted in its death.

According to the most recent count, there are at least 113 wolves in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico.

Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say a new survey of the population will begin next Monday. The effort will take two weeks.

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