2 Arizonans Charged in Endangered Wolf’s Death

Two people from eastern Arizona have been charged in the 1998 killing of an endangered Mexican gray wolf, federal authorities said Thursday.

James Michael Rogers, 21, of Eagar, and a male juvenile were charged this week with violating the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.

Rogers faces up to $125,000 in fines and 1 1/2 years in prison if convicted of violating both laws. The agency did not say what penalties would be levied against the juvenile. The charges are misdemeanors.

Rogers is scheduled to be arraigned March 21 in federal court in Flagstaff, said Camille Bibles, an assistant U.S. attorney in Phoenix.

The body of the female wolf was found on Oct. 18, 1998, near Jim Smith Peak in Catron County, N.M.

The agency said the wolf was shot near Nutrioso, Ariz., then taken the same night across the state line into New Mexico. Authorities last month seized two rifles in connection with the case.

Authorities still are investigating the 1998 killings of three other Mexican gray wolves in eastern Arizona.

The wolves once were thought to be extinct in the wild. Federal wildlife officials began releasing them in a reintroduction program in 1998.

But the program, operating in Arizona’s Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, has been plagued by problems.

In the first year, five of the wolves were shot, and three others, including a pup born in the wild, disappeared and were presumed dead. The shootings sparked an outcry from environmentalists, who suspected the deaths were linked to ranching interests.

“We have always maintained that these are serious crimes,” said Michael Robinson, a New Mexico representative of the Center for Biological Diversity. “These shootings have been a tremendous setback to the program.”

More recently, the problem has been wolves killing livestock--the reason many ranchers have opposed the program. In response, officials are considering moving some of the wolves into remote areas of New Mexico.

“You can’t raise wolves and turn them lose up there. It’s like turning your house pet outside to fend for itself,” said C.B. “Doc” Lane, natural resources director for the Arizona Cattlemen’s Assn. “We have never thought shooting them was a good idea for them or anybody.”

About 28 Mexican gray wolves have been released since March 1998; only seven remain today, the Fish and Wildlife Service said.

Of the 11 wolves released in March 1998, seven have died--five of gunshot wounds. The cause of the other deaths remains unknown.