Pregnant apex predator mistakenly killed by AZ wildlife officers, officials say (2025)

While trying to kill a predator threatening livestock, Arizona wildlife officials accidentally killed a highly endangered wolf believed to be pregnant instead, officials said.

Wolf and wildlife advocates are demanding accountability after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “mistakenly” killed a Mexican gray wolf named Asiza, the Sierra Club of the Grand Canyon said in an April 21 news release.

The agency planned to kill an uncollared wolf from the Bear Canyon Pack that officials said was preying on livestock starting in March 2024, according to an April 4 order by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The agency was authorized to remove only one wolf from the area and was specifically directed to keep Asiza and another collared wolf on the landscape, the order says.

“It is our intent not to remove the breeding female (wearing a non-functioning radio collar) who will likely whelp a new litter of pups soon,” the order says. “Therefore, a removal is only authorized for one uncollared wolf at this time which will ensure other collared wolves (AM2563, AF1823) remain in the pack ... Removal activities will cease when an uncollared wolf associated with the Bear Canyon pack is removed.”

Ten days after the order, AF1823 — the wolf known as Asiza — was dead.

“During efforts to fulfill this removal order, AF1823 was mistakenly lethally removed on April 14, 2025,” a decision memo says. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined to close this removal order.”

Schoolchildren had named the 7-year-old wolf, and she was beloved by wolf and wildlife advocates in Arizona and beyond, the Sierra Club said in the April 21 release.

“It’s outrageous that our government is authorizing wolves to be killed for preying on livestock on public lands, full stop,” said Greta Anderson, deputy director of Western Watersheds Project. “But the fact that they killed a collared mother wolf ‘by accident’ is completely unacceptable. Wildlife professionals should be trained to know what they are shooting, especially when it comes to a highly imperiled species. We demand a full investigation and criminal charges for negligence if appropriate.”

Fish and wildlife officials previously put out a request for information and a large reward after a different Mexican gray wolf was killed near Flagstaff in 2024, McClatchy News reported at the time.

“Killing a Mexican wolf is a violation of state law and the Federal Endangered Species Act and can result in criminal penalties of up to $50,000 and/or not more than one year in jail, and/or a civil penalty of up to $25,000,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in the Nov. 2024 release.

“The kill order from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service explicitly excluded her. Yet Wildlife Services killed her anyway — despite her collar, her known importance to the pack, and her clear role in the future of Mexican gray wolf recovery,” the Western Watersheds Project said in an April 22 post on Instagram. “This wasn’t just a mistake. It was a preventable tragedy.”

Wolf advocates worry the female wolf’s death could result in “brazen harm” to the whole pack, according to the Sierra Club release.

“The killing of Asiza is extremely upsetting, both for her family and for (lobo mexicano) supporters across the country,” said Regan Downey, director of education at the Wolf Conservation Center. “Her death endangers the Bear Canyon pack’s survival; research shows that killing a breeding female can destabilize the pack and increase the likelihood of future conflicts.”

Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon (Arizona) chapter, said the group was appalled by the mistake.

“We are outraged by this irresponsible and unnecessary killing of this highly endangered wolf and especially outraged and disappointed that it was the government itself that took this action and did so related to possible livestock depredation,” Bahr said. “All Mexican wolves are precious due to their small numbers, but a breeding female is especially precious and important. This is no way to treat endangered wildlife.”