On Wednesday, US Fish and Wildlife Service said that a male Mexican wolf, codenamed M11310, was killed in Catron County as it was showing problematic behavior.

Federal authorities affirmed that they shot the animal after they started receiving reports about the troublesome behavior of the wolf from residents. It’s not that officials did not try non-lethal measures to remove the wolf, but they did not turn out to be successful.

A field team said that the wolf was tried to be captured by tranquilizing, trap and the relocating the animal.

Authorities concerned said that the wolf has been repeatedly seen in a residential area in the last week. Officials said that the wolf did not harm residents, but it was also not showing that it was afraid of humans.

Maggie Dwire, assistant Mexican wolf recovery coordinator for Fish and Wildlife, said, “The bottom line is the Fish and Wildlife Service has no tolerance for wolves being in close proximity to people as this wolf was displaying. And lethal control of the animal is not our preferred option, but it was justifiable in this case”.

In 1998, the Mexican grays wolf reintroduction program was started. It is the second time since the program started that wolf has to be killed owing to its nuisance behavior. Dwire termed the action taken for public safety.

While handling the animal, the field officers realized that they need to remove the animal and that too as soon as possible. The wolf was born and raised in captivity. This April, the wolf was released into the wolf.

There are around 110 of the wolves that are part of the experimental population in eastern Arizona and New Mexico.