KEY POINTS
- The wolf called OR-109 was shot and killed on Feb. 15
- It is the 10th illegal wolf killing in Oregon within the last year
- Conservation and animal protection groups are offering $22,500 for information
A collared wolf was recently shot and killed in Oregon amid a series of illegal wolf killings in the state. Conservation and animal protection groups are offering a reward for information that may lead to a conviction.
Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers found the dead wolf in a field on Feb. 15, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) noted in a news release. The female wolf, identified as OR-109, was believed to have been shot and killed that same day.
Unfortunately, this is not the first incident of a wolf killing in the state in recent months. In 2021, eight wolves were poisoned around the same area while another was also killed by a firearm just last January. In the January killing, it was a resident who found the 2-year-old collared wolf known as OR-106 and alerted the authorities.
Rewards have previously been offered for information that could lead to a conviction in earlier cases. Now, several groups are offering a combined $22,500 reward for vital information that could lead to a conviction in the killing of OR-109.
“Criminality continues in Oregon, bringing the total wolves illegally killed to 10, with no sign of rightful prosecution in sight,” Brooks Fahy, the executive director of Predator Defense, said in the CBD news release, citing the poisonings and shootings in the past year alone.
In January, the CBD noted that 30 wolves had been killed illegally in Oregon in the past 21 years. However, only three of the deaths have led to arrests and convictions.
“The death of OR-109 at the hands of a poacher is infuriating, especially given all of the other losses Oregon’s precious few wolves have suffered over the past two years,” Kelly Peterson, the Oregon state director at the Humane Society of the United States, said, as per CBD. “While this reward cannot bring her back, we hope it brings these cruel actors to justice and helps finally put an end to the illegal slaughter of our wolves.”
OSP’s Fish & Wildlife Division is also seeking the public’s help for any information on the incidents. Anyone with information is asked to contact OSP via its Turn In Poachers (TIP) line at 1800-452-7888, *OSP (*677), or via email at TIP@osp.oregon.gov.
Callers may remain anonymous if they want to, CBD said.
