Can and do Mexican wolves kill elk?
Although the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) suggested that deer would be the primary prey for Mexican wolves, scat analysis shows that wolves are principally killing and feeding upon elk. Since the EIS was published in 1996, elk populations within the reintroduction area have expanded, while deer populations have diminished. The first Mexican wolves were released in 1998 and successfully preyed upon elk within three weeks of release. Monitoring by the IFT and independent researchers has demonstrated that wolves prey upon all sex and age classes of elk, but primarily the youngest and oldest age classes, and therefore are fully capable of killing live elk when necessary.
