Endangered Mexican gray wolf (m2520) is at risk of capture and translocation just for roaming the forests north of Interstate 40.
A solitary subadult male Mexican gray wolf has been living peacefully in the national forests near Williams and Flagstaff for over two months. The wolf, named “Anubis” by seventh graders in an annual pup-naming contest, was born in spring 2020 to the Dark Canyon Pack of the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. It is natural for young wolves to disperse such long distances and seek out new territories, and the habitat Anubis has encountered north of I-40 contains abundant elk and good hiding cover. The Arizona Game & Fish Department has initiated and paid for the ill-advised capture efforts underway so far, including expensive aerial efforts using a plane and helicopter in mid-June during record-breaking Arizona heat and extreme fire danger. There have been no documented human or domestic animal conflicts with the wolf and the agency seems motivated simply by its insistence that wolves stay south of I-40, for reasons that are wholly political rather than based in science. The Coconino and Kaibab National Forests were closed to everyone for 13 days due to high fire danger, including wildlife managers, which bought Anubis a little more freedom on his ambitious journey. We anticipate that now that the national forests have re-opened, the Department will resume capture efforts, so there is no time to waste.
Please speak up for Anubis today!
Please send an email to the Arizona Game & Fish Department saying:
- You are excited to learn about the wolf and want to celebrate his amazing journey.
- You want the agencies to focus first on public outreach and education, adding only humane hazing options and hands-off coexistence methods where necessary.
- You strongly oppose any capture efforts to move Anubis, because he should be allowed to continue on his journey without risking potential harm during recapture and translocation, and the agencies should focus on keeping an endangered wolf safe wherever they roam.
- If you live in the area near Flagstaff or northern Arizona, you can include that personalized information in your comments, but it is not necessary to live here to submit comments.
We encourage you to be respectful to all agency staff members in your comments.
Email your comments to:
Jim DeVos, Arizona Game & Fish Department Mexican Wolf Coordinator: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ty Gray, Arizona Game & Fish Department Director: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Clay Crowder, Arizona Game & Fish Department Assistant Director
for the Wildlife Management Division: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
And include:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thank you for advocating for Mexican gray wolves!
You can read our press release and several news articles about Anubis on our Wolf News page.
