Famous Mexican gray wolf was shot and had leg amputated. Now he’s returned to the wild

A Mexican gray wolf who suffered a gunshot wound is finally back in the wild — albeit, with one fewer leg.

The wolf, known as Mr. Goodbar, was shot in January and arrived at a veterinary clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Jan. 27, according to a news release from the city. Veterinary staff confirmed that Mr. Goodbar’s leg had been fractured and decided that the best option was to amputate, the release said.

Carol Bradford, senior veterinarian at ABQ BioPark, said Mr. Goodbar had probably been struggling with the injury in the wild for several weeks before he was rescued by biologists.

“It’s always amazing how tough these animals are and how they can survive in the wild with an injury like this,” Bradford said in the release.

Mr. Goodbar had a smooth recovery and was returned to biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Feb. 9. They “released him into his native habitat” that day, the release said.

Despite the amputation, Bradford said, Mr. Goodbar has good odds of surviving in the wild — several other three-legged wolves have been able to roam, hunt and successfully mate post-injury.

Previously, Mr. Goodbar was observed pacing along a stretch of border fencing in New Mexico for five days in late November, traversing 23 miles while trying to move south, McClatchy News reported. He eventually gave up and was located by scientists farther north, near the Gila National Forest in New Mexico.

Mr. Goodbar was likely looking for a new mate when he was thwarted by the wall, McClatchy News reported. Conversationalists have previously warned that border fencing is harmful to local wildlife, damaging wolves’ natural habitats and impeding repopulation efforts, the El Paso Times reported.

Mr. Goodbar’s recovery is promising given his status as an animal of an endangered species. But not all wolves have been so lucky — another gray wolf, Anubis, was shot and killed in Arizona earlier this year, the El Paso Times reported.

ABQ BioPark has treated other injured wolves in the past. Bradford said most of the injuries she sees are from traps, and that two wolves from separate packs who suffered trap injuries were admitted to the clinic in late 2019. Both wolves were successfully re-released into the wild afterward, the release said.

There used to be thousands of Mexican gray wolves in the U.S., but many of them were eliminated by the mid-1970s, according to the Defenders of Wildlife. Only around 250 of the wolves are in the wild, according to the Endangered Wolf Center.

This story was originally published February 14, 2022 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Famous Mexican gray wolf was shot and had leg amputated. Now he’s returned to the wild."