Reward of $100,000 offered in mysterious death of beloved Mexican gray wolf in Arizona

A beloved Mexican gray wolf, who was known among conservationists as a symbol of hope for the endangered species, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Arizona.

Several agencies have pledged up to $103,500 in reward money for information that “leads to successful prosecution” of those responsible for killing the wolf, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a Nov. 15 news release.

Officials didn’t share information about how the wolf died, “except that the mortality was not related to agency management actions,” the agency said in the release.

Mexican wolf F2979 was known among conservationists as Hope. The wolf had dispersed from her pack and traveled outside the boundary of the agency’s designated recovery area for the species in early summer 2024, officials said.

The fish and wildlife service captured her, fitted her with a GPS collar and released her back into the wild in July, officials said.

Hope was seen traveling with a Mexican wolf known among conservationists as Mystery, the Center for Biological Diversity said in a news release.

The fish and wildlife service was trying to capture the pair to transport them back to the official recovery area when Hope was found dead, the agency said. Officials don’t know what may have happened to Mystery.

Hope was found dead Nov. 7 near Forest Service Road 2058 and East Spring Valley Road northwest of Flagstaff, officials said.

Those who have information about people in the area where the wolf was found or with information officials believe may be helpful are asked to call U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agents in Pinetop at 346-254-0515.

State wildlife agencies in Arizona and New Mexico are also accepting information in the case. Call Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Operation Game Thief at 800-352-0700 or New Mexico Department of Game and Fish’s Operation Game Thief at 800-432-4263.

Killing a Mexican wolf is illegal under Arizona state law and protections under the Federal Endangered Species Act and can result in up to $50,000 in criminal penalty fines, a year in jail and a civil penalty up to $25,000, officials said.

“The smallest gray wolf subspecies in North America, the Mexican gray wolf is also one of the rarest and most imperiled mammals on the continent,” the Center for Biological Diversity said in a Nov. 15 post on Instagram.

Wolves such as Hope “had broad public support from the people in northern Arizona and beyond,” the nonprofit organization said.

Flagstaff passed a resolution supporting Mexican gray wolf recovery in northern Arizona “to restore the natural balance of the land and for the economic benefits from wolf-related tourism,” the center said.

Her “presence west of Flagstaff had become a symbol of resilience,” the Western Watersheds Project said on Instagram.

“Hope wasn’t just a wolf. She was a powerful reminder of what could be — a thriving, balanced ecosystem where wolves reclaim their rightful role,” the group said. “Her dispersal from the Tu Dil Hil pack and her bold establishment of territory north of Interstate 40 defied outdated ideas of where wolves belong.”

Several people shared their grief at Hope’s death in the comments on social media.

“This is infuriating and beyond sad!” someone said under the Center for Biological Diversity’s post. “And to know that she was the ‘Hope’ for her imperiled species. I hope you find the culprit and they (will) be punished severely! Rip beautiful girl.”

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