Federal wildlife officials have killed an endangered Mexican gray wolf in New Mexico.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the alpha male member of the Mangas Pack was involved in more than a dozen killings of livestock since last May.
In the order, Mexican Wolf Recovery Coordinator Brady McGee noted that the pack consists of other adults and the April 12, 2023 killing of the male wolf shouldn’t impact its ability to raise pups.
Conservationists, however, blasted officials for the decision and questioned whether the cattle were actually killed by wolves.
The Center for Biological Diversity says the removal of breeding males can destabilize packs and create future conflict.
The order was given on March 29, 2023 which was the 25th anniversary of the reintroduction of the Mexican wolf in the Southwest.
The Mexican wolf is the rarest subspecies of gray wolf in North America. At last count at least 241 were roaming parts of western New Mexico and eastern Arizona.