Federal wildlife officials are investigating the death of a Mexican gray wolf.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday in a monthly briefing that the uncollared animal was found dead last month in New Mexico. The agency did not provide any details about the location and said the wolf management team didn't know anything about the male wolf's history.
They say the case is under investigation.
Efforts to reintroduce the predators to parts of New Mexico and Arizona have been hampered over the years by illegal shootings, among other things.
The most recent survey — done last January — showed there were at least 83 Mexican wolves in the wild in New Mexico and Arizona.
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