WPBN: Both the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) are trying to identify the person responsible for the death of a gray wolf that was categorized as endangered by the federal government.
According to a press release issued by the agency on Friday, the male wolf was found dead in Klickitat County, which is located in the state of Washington. A reward of $10,000 is being offered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FWS) for any information that leads to an arrest, criminal conviction, or civil penalty assessment.
Employees of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife conducted an investigation into the death of the animal on December 17, 2024, with the occurrence taking place to the northeast of Trout Lake, Washington, per the news release.
According to FWS, this particular wolf was the only member of the Big Muddy Pack that was still alive. Additionally, it is the second wolf that was killed in an unlawful manner in Klickitat County in the year 4024.
The news statement states that the second wolf was discovered in the vicinity of Goldendale, Washington, somewhere between the months of September and October 2024. The body was found in the vicinity of United States Highway 142, east of the Klickitat River, according to the authorities.
According to the Federal Wildlife Service (FWS), the animal “died from a gunshot wound that led to its starvation over the course of days or possibly weeks after it dragged itself to a water source without using its back legs.”
After that, on October 20, two weeks after the initial discovery, the body of a female adult wolf was discovered in Okanogan County, which is located in Northern Washington, southwest of Twisp.
According to the government, there were a total of five wolves that were killed illegally in the state of Washington in the year 2024, and four of those fatalities are still being actively investigated.
Wolves are considered to be in danger of extinction across the entirety of Washington state; nevertheless, on the western portion of the state, wolves are classified as federally endangered. Due to the fact that there is a significantly bigger population of wolves in Eastern Washington, the animals were removed from the federal endangered species list and are now only categorized as endangered at the state level.
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“Functionally, they are managed pretty much the same on both sides of the state except that lethal removals aren’t allowed under federal management, whereas we utilize it in Eastern Washington when there is a pattern of depredations on livestock,” FWS stated.
According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), gray wolves have been on the endangered species list under state law from the year 1980.
The Federal Wildlife Service (FWS) is requesting that anybody who may have information regarding the deaths of the wolves contact the agency by calling the tip line at 1-844-FWS-TIPS (1-844-397-8477) or by filling out a report on the FWS website.
People can also send an email to [email protected] or phone the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife at 877-933-9847. The news announcement also mentioned that callers can maintain their anonymity.
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