On Monday, the Center for Biological Diversity and Cascadia Wildlands doubled the reward being offered for information that leads to the conviction of the person, or people, responsible for killing two endangered wolves in northeast Washington last month. The reward is now set at $20,000.
Conservation groups also called for U.S. Fish and Wildlife to commit to increased enforcement efforts related to poaching incidents in Washington and Oregon.
“Poaching wolves or other wildlife is a deplorable crime,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center, in a press release. “We need people to come forward and help put a stop to the killing of these endangered animals.”
According to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Captain Dan Rahn, one female wolf was poached in Ferry County. Its body was found on Dec. 5 by WDFW personnel approximately 15 miles southwest of Republic. The wolf had previously been outfitted with a radio collar when it was a member of the Profanity Peak pack. The last transmission from the collar came in early November. The WDFW reported that the wolf was not associated with any pack when it was killed, but conservation groups assert that it was a member of the Smackout pack.
The second wolf killing occurred about 10 miles southeast of Colville in Stevens County. That mature female was discovered by hunters on Nov. 12 within the range of the Dirty Shirt Pack, and is presumed to have been a member of that pack by all parties.
According to Rahn, both investigations are still open and ongoing.
Three other wolves were previously poached in Oregon in recent months, which has brought extra attention to the age old conflict between humans and wolves.
“Poaching represents a real threat to the recovery of wolves in Washington and elsewhere on the West Coast,” said Nick Cady, legal director with Cascadia Wildlands, in the release. “It’s time for federal and state law enforcement to meaningfully act and catch and prosecute these lawless poachers.”
The press release announcing the increased reward noted that wolves were previously eliminated from the lower 48 U.S. states, other than a small corner of northeast Minnesota, “due to a government-sponsored campaign of poisoning, shooting and killing.”
Protections granted under the Endangered Species Act have allowed the wolves to reestablish portions of their range, and they began returning to Washington and Oregon on their own about a decade ago. Gray wolves are listed as endangered under state law across all of Washington and they are also afforded federal protections in the western two-thirds of the state. Current estimates place between 100 and 150 wolves in each state.
The illegal killing of a wolf, or any other endangered fish or wildlife species, is a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000. The WDFW asks anyone with information to call 877-933-9847 or 360-902-2936.
