Reward of over $30,000 offered for information on the illegal killing of a wolf in Oregon
The wolf killed was the pack’s breeding male, which now puts the pack’s pups at risk of starvation as they are not yet skilled at hunting their own food.
A Metolius wolf spotted by a trail camera. Credit: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife.
A reward of more than $30,000 is now being offered for any information that can help in the case of an illegal killing of a wolf in Oregon.
Wildlife officials discovered the slain wolf near Sisters, Oregon, on March 10. The animal was later identified as an adult breeding male of the Metolius wolf pack.
The Metolius pack was designated as an official pack last year after a mated pair of wolves had four pups in 2024.
It is believed that three of those pups are still alive.
However, after the recent killing of the pack’s male wolf, conservationists are now worried that the remaining pups could die of starvation and that the Metolius pack could dissolve.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the male wolf’s death means the pack has lost an experienced hunter who would have helped sustain this wolf family.
As the pups would barely be yearlings and not yet skilled at hunting wild prey themselves, they could be at risk of starvation.
A further complication is that April is the time of year when wolves give birth to new pups. That means if the female of the Metolius pack is pregnant now, then she’ll be rearing new pups without the assistance of her mate.
Authorities and experts call for information
“Any illegal killing of these magnificent animals is tragic but the poaching of the Metolius pack’s breeding male may have consigned the pack’s pups to death by starvation or the pack to dissolve,” said Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These beautiful animals don’t deserve to die this way, and whoever killed this wolf should face the full force of the law.”
Gray wolves are listed as endangered in the western two-thirds of Oregon, and the species is protected in this area under the Endangered Species Act. As a result of these protections, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have announced a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest over the wolf’s illegal killing.
Nonprofit groups the Center for Biological Diversity and the Wolf Welcome Committee subsequently offered a combined reward of a further $10,500. And as part of its ongoing efforts to protect wildlife, the Oregon Wildlife Coalition has a standing reward offer of $10,000 for any wolf illegally killed in the state.
That means the current combined reward for the killing of the breeding male of the Metolius pack now stands at $30,500.
“It’s only been a few years since this wolf pack made its home near Sisters, and the promise of their presence is what inspired our organization to form just a few years prior,” said Susan Prince, a co-founder and co-leader of Wolf Welcome Committee. “Locals have welcomed these wolves as part of Oregon’s natural heritage. The killing of this wolf is a real setback for wolf recovery and it’s personally heartbreaking.”
At least 33 wolves are known to have been poached across the state since 2021. However, this figure may be under-reporting the number of deaths as the Centre for Biological Diversity points out that scientific research has shown that for every illegally slain wolf found, another one to two wolves have been killed and remain undiscovered.
Help protect wolves in the US: add your name to the Species Unite petition to Secretary Burgum urging him to relist wolves nationwide under the Endangered Species Act. Sign the petition here.
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