Leader of the Mangas wolf pack killed following concerns of preying on livestock

Hannah Grover

A Mexican wolf that was known to prey on livestock has been killed in New Mexico. 

 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service authorized the lethal removal of the wolf, known as M1296 or by the name Rusty, which was given to him by a middle school student participating in a naming competition.

The killing was authorized in March and Rusty was killed on April 12. Rusty was part of a pack known as the Mangas Pack that has territory in both New Mexico and Arizona. 

 The Mangas Pack lives in the northern Gila National Forest. The pack has run into trouble with livestock in the past and, in 2020, two members of the wolf pack were killed by federal officials due to conflicts

 with livestock. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Mangas Pack killed livestock 13 times in an area of New Mexico between May 21, 2022 and March 7, 2023 ..more