Gray Wolf (Or Hybrid) Spotted On Grand Canyon North Rim; May Have Traveled From Northern Rockies
A gray wolf was recently spotted at the Grand Canyon in Arizona on Thursday, the first wolf sighting in the national park in decades, making conservationists everywhere hopeful that it's a sign the species is recovering.
While officials from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) at first described the animal as "wolf-like," possibly either a wolf or wolf-dog hybrid, it has since been confirmed as a gray wolf. Aside from technicalities, the agency's primary concern "is the welfare of this animal," FWS spokesman Jeff Humphrey told The Associated Press (AP).
The lone wolf could possibly belong to a population of fewer than 100 endangered Mexican gray wolves lives in portions of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico. However, its full body and more rounded ears indicate that it belongs to a group 1,700 strong inhabiting the Northern Rockies, according to Humphrey.
And as seen in photos from Kaibab National Forest north of Grand Canyon National Park, the wild animal wears a collar similar to those used in a wolf recovery effort in the Northern Rockies.
EDIT
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/9994/20141031/gray-wolf-spotted-at-grand-canyon-sign-of-recovery.htm
= new reply since forum marked as read
It sure looks like one of our wolves. That would be cool if it is. A lot of folks are apprehensive about it being caught, as am I, but the only good reason is to take a DNA sample to see what population segment it originated from.
Other than that. I would like to see it left alone to see where it goes. Maybe a better idea would be to get the agencies who have the collar frequencies to come and see if they can figure out which collar it's wearing and do the figuring from there.
Sadly, the Mexican Greys are having trouble in that neck-o'-the-woods because of mythology based hatred and ignorance as the northern Greys are having here in the northern Rockies.
It sucks but it's one of the reasons certain types hate science too.
Thanks for the link with a picture!!
