On July 15, Service biologists in the Apache National Forest, near Alpine, Arizona, made an exciting discovery: the first Mexican gray wolf pup born in the wild in the United States in nearly 50 years.

As wolf recovery biologist Wendy Brown told it, her colleagues spotted two Mexican gray wolves emerging from some trees “with a puffball following them. Looking through their field glasses, they saw it was a pup. The parents crossed a creek, but the pup stopped and whined. Then the parents coaxed it across.”

The pup, about nine to eleven weeks old at the time, was estimated to weigh about 15 pounds, Brown said. Though its parents had kept close to their den in May, biologists were unable to confirm that any young had survived. The sighting came as a happy and dramatic surprise after hopes of finding any surviving pups had diminished.

“Having a pup survive to this point in the first year of the reintroduction effort is great news,” said Southwest Regional Director Nancy Kaufman. “It’s the first Mexican wolf born in the wild in the United States since the 1950s, and is thus a symbol of hope and progress in restoring wolves to their rightful place in Southwestern forests.”

Success has been tinged by tragedy, however, as wolf #174, the pup’s mother, was apparently killed by a mountain lion in early August. She was found lying just five yards from an elk calf carcass that appeared to have been killed by a mountain lion. The mountain lion had been seen in the area previous to the killing.

The dead wolf’s mate and the pup appeared to be in good physical condition after the incident, and biologists did not to attempt to recapture or relocate either one. However, monitoring has been intensified to make certain the male is caring for the pup, which had been feeding on prey killed by its parents.

Nevertheless despite the death of the pup’s mother and other setbacks, Dave Parsons, the project leader for the Mexican wolf recovery program, expressed cautious optimism about the new arrival.

“The birth of a wolf pup in the wild is an occasion to be celebrated,” Parsons said. “But we must not be fooled into believing that recovery of the Mexican wolf will happen quickly. It will require the birth and survival of many pups in the wild and considerable patience, perseverance, and tolerance by humans. The project will experience both successes and setbacks, but I am convinced that, eventually, the successes will overwhelm the setbacks and, ultimately, Mexican wolves will thrive in the wilds of the Southwest.”

Discovery of the wild-born pup has offset some early disappointments for the wolf recovery program.

On April 28, a camper shot and killed male wolf #156 of the Turkey Creek pack. Its pregnant mate, wolf #128, had no packmates to help her rear her soon-to-be-born pups. Biologists captured her and returned her to the wolf breeding facility at Sevilleta NWR.

A little more than a month later, wolf caretaker Colleen Buchanan discovered wolf #128 in her pen howling uncharacteristically, a dead pup lying prostrate at her feet.

Although depredation by the released wolves has been minor, two young female wolves were returned to captivity at Sevilleta in May after dispersing from their packs and interacting inappropriately with livestock.

In addition, a miniature horse was bitten, and a rancher’s dog was killed by a released wolf, for which reimbursements were made by Defenders of Wildlife.

Of the eleven original wolves released, seven remain in the wild. Slowly, but surely, the wolves are demonstrating their ability to adapt to the wild. Biologists recently confirmed the successful kill of an elk by the parents of the newborn pup.

Ben Ikenson, Student Conservation Associate, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Editor's note: The Campbell Blue male cared for the wolf pup after the death of his mate on August 7. However, as of September 14, the pup had not been observed for 22 days, suggesting it has been lost to unknown causes. Project biologists emphasize that the losses of the Campbell Blue female and pup are expected and that they are encouraged by the successful transition these first wolves have made from captivity to the wild, establishing home ranges, learning to kill elk, and reproducing their first year in the wild.