NEWS
Federal agents search Datil properties in case of Mexican wolf kills
After being trapped, one wolf died of thirst and other was shot and beaten to death
Published
They were father and son, roaming Catron County as part of the Sawtooth pack. Within a month of each other, both collared Mexican gray wolves were trapped on private property near Datil.
The father was left to die of thirst before his body was placed beside a highway, according to authorities. The son was shot in the spine and beaten over the head, his body moved onto public lands where cattle graze.
A monthslong investigation into the deaths of the protected species led U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents to search two properties April 9, according to a search warrant return filed in U.S. District Court in Las Cruces. Agents seized a shovel, more than a dozen traps 鈥� two with 鈥渇ur present鈥� 鈥� and rifles similar to the caliber used to shoot one wolf.
One property is owned by Wacey and Kaci Walraven and the other is owned by Russell and Melynda Walraven. The Walravens have not been charged with a crime, and authorities said the investigation is ongoing.
No suspects are identified in court records. The Walravens did not respond to multiple calls and messages for comment.
The search warrant detailing the case centered on a possible violation of the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act, which can lead to fines of up to $50,000 or imprisonment for up to one year, or both.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servcie said the agency 鈥渄oes not comment on active investigations.鈥�
The wolves that were killed, Wolf 2704 and Wolf 2994, were among 20 that died in New Mexico in 2025. So far this year, 11 wolves have died in the state, including M1966, who fathered a litter with wandering canid Asha.
While a cause of death for many of the wolves killed in recent years has not been released, roughly half of the 314 wolf deaths recorded between 1998 and 2024 were attributed to poaching, while about 15% were caused by vehicle collisions.
So far, seven wolves have survived being caught in a trap this year, according to quarterly reports that document trends and outcomes for the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program. In 2025, there were five wolves caught in private traps.
When working with wolves, Greta Anderson, deputy director of the Western Watersheds Project, said there are 鈥渁lways horror stories.鈥�
鈥淭here's an animal cruelty aspect to all of this that most people would find abhorrent, whether they like wolves or not. It's just kind of a sick way to go,鈥� she said of the deaths being investigated by federal agents.
Anderson said, even for those that survive traps, often there are amputations that can complicate breeding and compromise future generations. She said since the death of the father-son pair, the Sawtooth pack is now considered defunct as there is no longer a way to track the pack without collared wolves.
鈥淲e know about these things when the wolves are collared, but the question is, 鈥榃hat's happening with uncollared wolves on the landscape that go missing?鈥欌�� Anderson said.
She said that, under the Trump administration 鈥� which has removed protections for animals such as the lesser prairie chicken 鈥� it appears people feel 鈥渋t's more permissible to kill endangered species.鈥� Anderson said prosecutions are rare, despite a $105,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in wolf killing.
鈥淚'm optimistic that law enforcement is trying to track down wolf killers. There are a lot of reasons why it's difficult,鈥� she said, adding that only half the population is trackable and the areas where they live are remote, meaning fewer witnesses.
鈥淭he fact that these wolves were trapped, rather than shot, kind of localizes them to one site, and that makes the investigation a little bit easier,鈥� Anderson said.
Wolf 2704
According to a search warrant affidavit filed in U.S. District Court:
On May 9, the Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Program received a 鈥渕ortality alert鈥� signal from the GPS collar of Wolf 2704. The signal comes after four hours of no movement, 鈥渁n uncommon duration for a healthy wolf.鈥�
The collar showed the wolf had been in a similar spot on private property for two days and a Game and Fish officer tried to reach the property owners to no avail. On May 12, a new signal came from the wolf鈥檚 collar along a public highway a mile from the mortality alert.
A Fish and Wildlife agent found the wolf鈥檚 body near the road, with a paw injury consistent with a leg-hold trap, typically set in 鈥渉igh-traffic or baited areas and anchored to the ground or a tree.鈥� The agent believed the wolf had been dead for multiple days and found no signs that it had been struck by a vehicle.
The agent walked from the body site to the initial mortality signal and found a leg trap, placing trail cameras to monitor it. When the agent retrieved the camera, footage showed a man in camouflage arrive in a truck and collect the trap.
An autopsy found the wolf had a leg wound from a trap and its stomach was empty except for sticks and hair, suggesting the wolf hadn鈥檛 eaten for a prolonged period. The autopsy determined the wolf likely died of dehydration.
鈥淚 further believe the wolf died while trapped and 鈥� was intentionally moved about one mile to a public highway to potentially conceal both the trap and the carcass,鈥� according to the affidavit.
Wolf 2994
On June 4, a mortality signal was sent from the collar of another wolf on private property in the same area. The next day agents went to the property and were denied entry.
The agents tried to call the landowners, with no success, but ran into one of them in the area. The landowner told agents they would not be given permission, adding that he rides in the area and 鈥渢here were no wolves back there.鈥�
On June 7, agents learned the GPS signal from the wolf had moved to an area in the national forest, where the landowners had permits for cattle grazing. Agents went to the site of the signal and found tire tracks leading to the wolf鈥檚 body.
The wolf also had a trap injury to its leg, but no traps were found in the area, and agents followed tire tracks from the body that appeared to lead to the landowner鈥檚 property. Agents walked to the site of the original mortality signal and found a 鈥渄umping location鈥� with the bodies of cattle decomposing and 鈥渁 variety of bones scattered throughout.鈥�
A necropsy found the wolf had been shot in the spine, likely while trapped, which immobilized the animal before it was 鈥渄ispatched with a blow to the head.鈥� A bullet fragment from a small-caliber round was removed from the body.
鈥淭he affiant believes that wolf #2994 was trapped, shot, struck on the head and then moved to a different location,鈥� the affidavit states.
A search of two properties found 14 leg traps, two of them with 鈥渇ur present on jaws,鈥� clothing, ammunition and two rifles of similar caliber to the one used to kill the wolf.
