Illegal killing of endangered gray wolf in Sisters, Ore. prompts investigation

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking information that leads to finding the person responsible for illegally killing an endangered gray wolf in early March.

The offer follows several other poaching investigations that have resulted in reward offers totaling more than $130,000 for anyone who provides information leading to an arrest or citation for those involved in killing the animals across the state in the past two years.

In this case, wildlife officials are investigating information related to the death of an adult male gray wolf in the areas of Sisters sometime before March 10. Anyone with information could receive up to $10,000.

“The wolf, an adult breeding male of the Metolius pack, was found dead near Sisters, Oregon,” officials said. “Gray wolves are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in the western two-thirds of Oregon.”

According to an April 2024 report from the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management, the state’s wolf population did not grow at all in 2023. This marked the first year of zero annual growth in 16 years.

Anyone with information about any of these cases should call the U.S. FWS at (503) 682-6131, or the Oregon State Police Dispatch at (800) 452-7888, or the Turn In Poachers TIP Line at OSP (*677) or email TIP@osp.oregon.gov. Callers may remain anonymous.