Reward fund total tops $30,000 for tips to solve recent illegal killing of gray wolf near Sisters
(Update: Three organizations add to reward fund)
PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Three organizations have pushed the total potential reward past $30,000 for information in the recent illegal killing of a federally listed endangered gray wolf near Sisters.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday it's offering a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest, criminal conviction or civil penalty assessment.
On Monday, March 10, staff with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service responded to the report of the death of an adult male gray wolf. The wolf, an adult breeding male of the Metolius pack, was found dead near Sisters.
Gray wolves are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in the western two-thirds of Oregon.
An investigation is being led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in cooperation with the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Anyone with information about this case should call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (503) 682-6131, or the Oregon State Police Dispatch at (800) 452-7888, *OSP (*677) or email TIP@osp.oregon.gov. Callers may remain anonymous.
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service representative told KTVZ News she could not provide any information on the investigation beyond what was included in the news release.
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News release Thursday from the Center for Biological Diversity:
Reward Raised to $30,500 for Info on Illegal Wolf Killing in Oregon
PORTLAND, Ore.— The Center for Biological Diversity and the Wolf Welcome Committee today offered a combined reward of $10,500 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the killing of a federally protected wolf near Sisters, Oregon. The wolf killed was the breeding male of the Metolius pack.
The killing was announced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service late Wednesday. The agency is offering its own reward pledge of $10,000. In addition, the Oregon Wildlife Coalition has a standing reward offer of $10,000 for any wolf illegally killed in Oregon. Today’s announcement brings the total reward to $30,500.
“Any illegal killing of these magnificent animals is tragic but the poaching of the Metolius pack’s breeding male may have consigned the pack’s pups to death by starvation or the pack to dissolve,” said Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These beautiful animals don’t deserve to die this way, and whoever killed this wolf should face the full force of the law.”
The mated pair of the Metolius pack was first discovered in 2021 in the Metolius Wildlife Unit of Jefferson and Deschutes counties. After the pair had four pups in 2024, this wolf family was designated as an official pack,.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will issue its annual end-of-year wolf report for 2024 in April, which, according to Department staff, will include confirmation that three of those pups are still alive. At this time, they would barely be yearlings and not yet skilled at hunting wild prey. April is also the time of year wolves give birth to new pups. If the female is pregnant now, she’ll be rearing new pups without the assistance of her mate.
The male wolf’s death means the loss of an experienced hunter who helped sustain this wolf family. That could result in conflicts with livestock, which are easier prey than elk or deer, or it could cause the pack to break apart.
“It’s only been a few years since this wolf pack made its home near Sisters, and the promise of their presence is what inspired our organization to form just a few years prior,” said Susan Prince, a co-founder and co-leader of Wolf Welcome Committee. “Locals have welcomed these wolves as part of Oregon’s natural heritage. The killing of this wolf is a real setback for wolf recovery and it’s personally heartbreaking.”
Since 2021, at least 33 wolves are known to have been poached across the state, including this most recent killing. Scientific research has shown that for every illegally slain wolf found, another one to two wolves have been killed and remain undiscovered.
Investigations are being conducted jointly by the Service, the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Anyone with information regarding any of these cases is urged to contact the Service at (503) 682-6131, or the Oregon State Police Dispatch at (800) 452-7888, *OSP (*677) or email TIP@osp.oregon.gov. Callers may remain anonymous.
