Six endangered wolves found dead in north-east Washington this year were poisoned, officials announced on Monday, and a reward is being offered for tips leading to a conviction in the case.
Washington state’s department of fish and wildlife said the agency had been investigating wolf deaths within the territory of the Wedge pack in Stevens county since authorities there discovered four dead wolves on 18 February.
The agency found two more dead wolves in the following month and toxicology results revealed all six animals died from ingesting poison.
Officials are now asking anyone who might have relevant information to come forward. Conservation groups are offering a $51,000 reward for tips that lead to convictions in the poisonings.
“Anyone with the good fortune to see a wolf in the wild knows of their beauty, intellect and tight family bond,” said Zoe Hanley, a wolf biologist with Defenders of Wildlife, a conservation organization. “This cowardly act flies in the face of committed efforts from biologists, policymakers and ranchers working to recover and coexist with wolves in Washington.”
“It is deeply disturbing that even with the use of publicly funded deterrents and state intervention in response to depredations, there is still a situation where someone felt compelled to do this,” said Paula Swedeen, the wolf policy lead for Conservation Northwest, another conservation organization. “We need to find solutions that allow wolves to inhabit this wild country without constant death threats hanging over their heads.”
Parts of Washington state are prime wolf habitat. There were a minimum of 206 wolves and 33 packs in Washington state in 2021, according to an annual survey conducted by state and tribal biologists, and the animals are listed as endangered under state law. The unauthorized killing of one of the animals is a gross misdemeanor and punishable by up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
In Oregon last year, wildlife troopers found eight dead wolves in the north-eastern part of the state. The animals were poisoned, but the deaths remain unsolved and rewards also have been offered for tips.