Arizona Wildfires Appear to Have Spared Endangered Wolves
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The wildfires in Arizona have raged through forests and burned down homes, but as recently reported by the Washington Post, three packs of endangered Mexican gray wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) appear to have been spared. (Story by Associated Press, June 23, 2011). Firefighters have spotted two of the three packs moving around with their pups, and researchers were able to confirm the survival of at least three wolves from the third pack via radio collar data. It is currently unknown whether pups from the third pack have survived the fires, but a spokesman for the Arizona Game and Fish Department said that they are confident that all of the wolves and their pups are alive.
The story notes that given the extent of the fires, it is unlikely that the Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) has fared as well.
