Wildlife managers are investigating the death of a Mexican gray wolf found last month in Arizona.
Officials with the wolf recovery team say the uncollared juvenile wolf was possibly a member of the Hoodoo Pack, which typically roams the northeastern portion of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Officials did not release any details about the circumstances of the animal’s death.
In all, there have been nine documented wolf deaths since the beginning of the year.
A subspecies of the Western gray wolf, Mexican wolves have faced a difficult road to recovery that has been complicated by politics and conflicts with livestock.
Survey results released earlier this year indicated there were at least 131 wolves in the mountain ranges spanning southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona.
