Officials offer $30,000 reward after body of endangered wolf turns up in remote wilderness: 'Any illegal killing of these magnificent animals is tragic'

Wildlife officials have called for information after discovering the body of a deceased endangered animal. 

According to The Bradenton Herald, in a report published by Phys.org, the body of an adult male gray wolf was found on March 10 in Deschutes County, Oregon. 

Because the gray wolf is a federally protected species in the state, multiple agencies are offering rewards for any information about the incident. 

The Center for Biological Diversity and the Wolf Welcome Committee are offering $10,500, while the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is offering $10,000. 

The Oregon Wildlife Coalition is also involved, as it offers a reward of $10,000 for details whenever someone illegally kills a gray wolf. Altogether, the total reward comes to $30,500. 

Per the Herald, Amaroq Weiss, the senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, stated in a news release, "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."

While not all gray wolves in the state are considered endangered, ones found in certain areas, like this particular animal, were relisted as such under the Endangered Species Act in 2022. 

The illegal killing of these animals increases the risk of them becoming extinct, especially since killing a single one can have negative consequences for the rest of the pack, as Weiss explained. 

As predators, wolves play an important role in balancing an ecosystem. As the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife detailed, wolves can keep the number of grazing animals, like elk, low enough to help protect the local vegetation from being ravaged. 

Overgrazing occurred in Yellowstone National Park early last century, but once officials reintroduced wolves to the landscape in 1995, some woody browse species began to reemerge, according to research published in the journal Biological Conservation, shared by ScienceDirect.

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The loss of vegetation alone is enough for concern, but the loss of plant life may also worsen riverbank erosion, affecting the number of fish found in rivers. 

Wolves are also responsible for helping to feed other wildlife. While wolves are protective of any kills they make, the carcasses they leave behind can be food sources for vultures, raccoons, foxes, and more. 

Luckily, wolves now have many agencies that advocate on their behalf. 

Officials have asked anyone with information about the illegal killing of this gray wolf to email TIP@osp.oregon.gov or call the Oregon State Police Dispatch at 800-452-7888 or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at 503-682-6131.

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