Rewards are being offered to nab the killers of gray wolves in Colorado, Oregon and Washington in recent in a spate of criminal acts against the federally protected animals.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been seeking public information and offering rewards to bring to justice those responsible for the illegal killings of the wolves. The government-backed reintroduction of wolves has encountered opposition, particularly among those who raise livestock attacked by wolves as natural enemies.
There are thought be some 2,800 gray wolves in 300 packs in seven Western states, according to an FWS assessment last year.
The status of gray wolves in the United States varies. They are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 44 states. The following states have jurisdiction: Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, and parts of Oregon, Washington and Utah.
Rewards Offered in Oregon
Oregon is seeing a spike in gray wolf killings while also experiencing a steady series of confirmed animal depredations by wolves. From Jan. 2 through Feb. 26, there have been 11 confirmed and four probable wolf depredations of animals. Lethal removal of wolves has been authorized.
The March 10 killing of an adult male wolf of in a pack resulted in an announcement nine days later of a $10,000 reward being sought by FSW for information that could lead to the prosecution of the person(s) responsible.
On Feb. 6, Oregon State Police and state wildlife officials asked for public help finding a gray wolf poacher. A wolf collar numbered OR 86 (with no animal carcass) was found a few days earlier in Union County.
On Dec. 20, 2024, FSW offered a $10,000 reward one month after it began investigating the killing of a protected gray wolf in eastern Morrow County.
FWS joined the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to investigate the killings in late 2023 of three endangered gray wolves in southern Oregon in an area where the wolves are known to live in Klamath and Lake counties.
A $50,000 reward was being offered two months after the wolf killings for information leading to an arrest, criminal conviction, or civil fine. Their deaths were discovered after the collars on two of the gray wolves “showed a mortality signal.” State authorities found the two dead wolves plus another that had been killed and wore no collar.
Last year, someone illegally left poison that killed three gray wolves, two golden eagles, a mountain lion and a coyote in an Imnaha River drainage area. In other areas in Oregon in 2023 three wolves were found dead after being poisoned.
At the end of 2023, Oregon’s gray wolf population stood at 178 wolves, noted the “Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management 2023 Annual Report.” That year the state counted 36 deaths of gray wolves, of which 33 were killed by people. There were 73 confirmed livestock depredation killings attributed to gray wolves the same year.
Oregon provides its residents with a wealth of information about how to identify gray wolves: only half are gray and look different from coyotes. Wolves have wider heads, shorter ears, narrow bodies, longer legs and straight tails.
Illegal Gray Wolf Killing in Washington State
Washington had 260 wolves living in 42 packs (25 packs had successful breeding pairs), said the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife based on 2023 figures.
Last October, FWS issued a notice offering a $10,000 reward for information to find the killers of two protected gray wolves—an adult male was killed near a river in Klickitat County and an adult female wolf was slain in Okanogan County in Washington.
The reward was upped on March 7 to find the killers. The nonprofit Conservation Northwest, Washington Wildlife First, and Center for Biological Diversity each are offering $10,000 for a total of $30,000 in additional reward money.
Colorado Releases New Gray Wolves, Replacing Some Fatally Shot
In January, FWS issued a public notice offering an unspecified monetary reward for information its investigation in the fatal shooting of a protected male gray wolf (identified as 2309-OR) in Grand County, Colo.
“The wolf was in poor condition when captured and died on Sept. 3, 2024. A necropsy revealed that a gunshot wound initiated the poor condition of the wolf and ultimately led to the cause of death. Gray wolves in Colorado are listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act, making it illegal to harass, harm, or kill them without federal authorization,” FWS stated Jan. 2.
Though prevalent in their native habitat in Colorado, gray wolves ceased to live there in the 1940s until a Wyoming wolf pack migrated over in 2019, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Other wolves have followed since then in nearly 100 sightings by CPW annually. Some wolves continue to migrate there.
In 2023, CPW reintroduced 10 wolves to two counties: to Grand County just over 60 miles from northwest of Denver and in Summit County about 70 miles west of Denver. Two of these 10 wolves were illegally shot to death.
This year, CPW issued a 35-page “Wolf-Livestock Conflict Minimization Program” to help those who raise livestock protect them from wolves.
Two years ago, CPW released a “Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan” that includes steps to take and compensation to livestock producers when wolves kill their animals along with ways to minimize deadly wolf-livestock encounters.
Wolves, according to CPW, “are calm and elusive and avoid humans and are unlikely to approach people or homes. Gray wolves are habitat generalists, but are most commonly found in areas with plentiful deer and elk populations. If you live or recreate in the foothills or mountains of Colorado, you are in wolf country. Wolves are not normally a danger to humans, but you should treat wolves with the same respect you give any other wild animal. With a better understanding of wolves and their habitat, we can coexist with these magnificent animals.”
CPW notes that it is illegal to kill protected gray wolves there. If someone accidentally kills one, they should notify CPW immediately. Livestock owners whose animals have been killed by wolves are to alert CPW, which can issue a “lethal take permit” after verifying a “depredation” incident. Also CPW and federal officials can remove or kill a gray wolf under certain conditions.
Canadian Wolves Airlifted to Lead New Lives in Colorado
On Jan. 19, CPW relocated 15 Canadian gray wolves (seven males and eight females) from British Columbia. CPW paid for all costs involved in capturing and transporting the wolves and “there was no compensation or payment for the wolves themselves,” CPW announced in a statement.
The province has a large population of gray wolves (between 5,300 and 11,600) and provided the gray wolves to protect their caribou population.
