Wash. wildlife marksman shoots wolf from helicopter

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – A Washington state wildlife marksman fatally shot a member of the Togo wolf pack from a helicopter Sunday.

The Seattle Times reports the shooting near Danville came days after a Thurston County judge gave the go-ahead for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to kill the animal.

Wildlife officials said they hunted the wolf on foot Friday and Saturday but weren’t able to find it.

The case is the latest chapter in the state’s contentious management of wolves.

Wildlife officials say the Togo pack targeted cattle at least six times in the past 10 months.

Wildlife Director Kelly Susewind approved the killing two weeks ago, but another Thurston County judge that day granted conservation groups a temporary restraining order.

Amaroq Weiss, with the Center for Biological Diversity, said they’re proceeding with a lawsuit that argues the state is improperly issuing kill orders.

___

Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com