Wolf sighting prompts class cancellation at Butte Falls Charter School
BUTTE FALLS, Ore. (KTVZ) – Butte Falls Charter School canceled classes at its Natural Resource Center on Feb. 12 after a wolf was sighted near the property. The animal was spotted at approximately 1:15 p.m. in close proximity to the center, which is located outside of town across from the Butte Falls Prospect Highway.
Assistant Principal Ana Apgar contacted the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to monitor the situation and ensure student safety. The school is working with state and federal authorities to manage the presence of wolves in the area.
According to the International Wolf Center, fatal attacks on humans are extremely rare and usually linked to rabies: "Between 2002 and 2020, researchers found 26 fatal attacks throughout the world. Of those, 14 were due to rabies".
The wolf was seen crossing over Fish Lake Road onto the Natural Resource Center property. While classes at the center were suspended as a precaution, school officials reported that students and staff remained calm during the incident. The Butte Falls Charter School serves 159 students in a community located roughly 40 miles east of Medford. Federal and state authorities have been alerted to the incident.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is coordinating with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. These agencies are working to place professional wolf hazers in the community to protect residents and are developing a long-term plan to address the situation.
The reported sighting in Butte Falls follows a series of recent wolf encounters in Central Oregon. On Jan. 26, a resident captured photos of an animal believed to be a wolf on the west bank of the Deschutes River near the Bill Healy Bridge. Another wolf from the Upper Deschutes Pack was recently filmed traveling along a bike path near residential homes in the Caldera Springs community near Sunriver.
Aaron Bott, a wildlife biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife who specializes in Central Oregon wolves, said young wolves often navigate rural neighborhoods this time of year to find mates. Bott explained that biological factors drive this increased movement. "Their hormones are raging and they only go into heat for a very short period of time," Bott said. "So they're trying to cover huge distances very quickly to make that breeding window."
While the agency uses tracking collars, officials rely on public reports to monitor how wolves utilize the landscape. Residents are encouraged to report sightings with photos or track measurements through the department's website.
KTVZ News has reported extensively on wolf populations, their federal protections, and the coexistence with ranchers. Find those in-depth reports below:
- Trump administration pushes to remove gray wolves from Endangered Species Act protections
- Oregon’s wolves surge to historic high, but sparks new farm frustration
- Oregon family farm seeks changes to federal protections after lone wolf kills several calves
