USA: Eight Wolves Poisoned in Oregon

Police are asking for the public's help.

Conservation organisations have described the deaths of the wolves as shocking and heartbreaking, and have offered a reward of $43,000 for information.

Entire Pack Killed by Poison

The dead wolves surfaced in early February in Oregon, reports the New York Times.

Initially, officers from the state fish and wildlife agency found an entire pack of five wolves — known as the Catherine Pack — that had been poisoned in Union County. Then, between March and July, authorities found three grey wolves, two females and one male, poisoned in a similar manner in the same county, approximately 275 miles east of Portland.

The Oregon State Police suspect a connection between the deaths and conducted months-long investigations into the poisonings before announcing in December that all leads had been exhausted. Investigators are now asking the public for help in solving the crime, which is believed to be a case of poaching, and a coalition of animal welfare organisations is offering a reward for information leading to a conviction.

««It was absolutely shocking and heartbreaking for us», said Sristi Kamal, Senior Northwest Representative of Defenders of Wildlife, one of the conservation organisations that offered the reward. The groups have received a number of donations toward the search for the perpetrators and have increased the reward from $36,000 to $43,000.

Successful Return Through Natural Migration

Efforts to protect and reintroduce wolves are often controversial. Through a long-running, government-approved campaign to eradicate wolves, the gray wolf was virtually wiped out across much of the United States by the 1950s. In recent decades, there have been efforts to reintroduce or protect wolves. Today, Oregon's wolf population is on the rise again: 173 wolves were counted in 2020, compared to 158 the previous year.

Unlike other states where wolf populations have grown in recent years, none of the wolves in Oregon were directly reintroduced, but are instead the result of natural migration from other parts of the country. In the mid-1990s, 31 gray wolves from western Canada were transported to Yellowstone National Park. The new group of wolves thrived and reproduced, and some of their packs spread into other states such as Oregon.

However, the reintroduction of wolves faces opposition from hobby hunters and livestock farmers, who view them as a threat.

Wolves are misunderstood

In Oregon, killing a wolf for any reason other than self-defense is illegal, and livestock farmers are required to use non-lethal means to prevent wolves from preying on their animals. The Fish and Wildlife authority may also use lethal force or kill wolves under certain circumstances when all other options have been exhausted.

Wolves are frequently misunderstood and perceived as a greater threat than they actually pose, advocates argue, which leads to vilification and illegal killings. Poaching is not only a problem in Oregon but in all states where efforts toward wolf reintroduction have led to increased interaction with humans, said Kamal, although the number of wolves killed in Oregon this year is particularly high.

«This is definitely a case where we have never before seen wolves being poached to this extent», said Kamal.

The eight wolves poisoned this year account for approximately 4.5% of the state's entire known gray wolf population.

«It is horrific. It is an egregious case, and we hope that someone will come forward to claim this reward», said Dennehy.

The reward is offered in part because poaching crimes often rely heavily on tips and information from the public, Kamal said.In Oregon, for example, there is an anonymous hotline where people can report anything they have seen or heard in connection with illegal wildlife killings.

«Poaching is one of those really difficult and challenging crimes where it is truly hard to even know where the victim is, to locate the crime scene, or to identify suspects", said Kamal.

Animal welfare organizations have in recent years pushed for stricter legislation to protect against poaching and its enforcement. In Oregon, protective measures have been expanded and programs developed to combat poaching. Meanwhile, the Trump administration removed federal protections for gray wolves in the lower 48 states in 2020 — a move that conservation organizations largely opposed. After wolf hunting was expanded in a number of states, the Biden administration announced in September that it would review this decision with regard to western gray wolves, which are found in Oregon and Washington, among other states.

According to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, it is not yet known what impact the series of poisonings will have on the overall wolf population in Oregon. Wolves are, however, social animals with complex pack hierarchies, and advocates argue that killing a single wolf can have a destabilizing effect on a larger group.