Wildlife officials reviewing death of Mexican gray wolf

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Wildlife managers are investigating the death of a Mexican gray wolf found last month in New Mexico.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday the endangered wolf belonged to the Whitewater Canyon pack, which has been roaming in the north-central area of the Gila National Forest.

Officials say there have been seven documented wolf mortalities between January and June. They initially reported eight.

Survey results released earlier this year indicated there were at least 131 wolves in the mountain ranges spanning southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona.

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.