The Fish and Wildlife Service has offered a $50,000 reward for information about the deaths of three endangered gray wolves in Oregon, the agency said in a statement.
The Service is seeking clues that lead to an arrest, criminal conviction or civil penalty for the person or persons who killed the animals in Bly, southern Oregon.
A wolf at the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center.
Jason Connolly / AFP via Getty Images
The crime occurred, according to authorities, between Klamath and Lake counties in an area known for wolf activity.
The bodies of the animals were found after the collars of two of them emitted a mortality signal at the end of last December.
"Officers from the Oregon State Police Division of Fish and Wildlife and an ODFW biologist responded to signs" and found the three wolves dead.
One was an adult breeding female from the Gearhart Mountain herd.
Gray wolves, which are the largest wild members of the dog family, are recognized as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act after predator control programs led to their near extermination in the United States. in the early 1900s.
Authorities asked the public to provide information to facilitate the investigation involving the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.