Second wolf shot near Fairfield
"What the killers don't realize, or don't care
about, is that they are undermining the hard work of ranchers,
conservationists and others on gray wolf recovery, pushing off further any
chance of removing the strict protections for wolves under the Endangered
Species Act.
- Suzanne Laverty, Defenders of Wildlife Northwest
representative.
A second wolf has been found shot to death
in the mountains north of Fairfield.
B-96, the alpha male from the Smoky
Mountain pack, was recovered on Dec. 4 near Lick Creek in Camas County.
The Nez Perce Tribe's aerial monitoring efforts indicated the wolf was
last seen on Nov. 22. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed B-96
was shot.
Another male, B-57, was found dead on Nov.
23, about 10 miles from the location of B-96’s discoverry. That
3-year-old male had dispersed from the Thunder Mountain pack near McCall
and recently joined the Smoky Mountain pack.
"We have received several excellent
leads and many calls regarding the death of B-57, and we will aggressively
pursue our investigation of the death of B-96 as well," special agent
Paul Weyland said.
"If wolves continue to be injured or
killed, Idaho will not reach its recovery goal, which means wolves will
remain an endangered species for a longer time."
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has
offered a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and
conviction of those responsible for the killing, and the Defenders of
Wildlife group has chipped in another $2,000 to the reward.
"What the killers don't realize, or
don't care about, is that they are undermining the hard work of ranchers,
conservationists and others on gray wolf recovery, pushing off further any
chance of removing the strict protections for wolves under the Endangered
Species Act," said Suzanne Laverty, Defenders Northwest
representative.
The killing of an animal protected under
the Endangered Species Act is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000 and
one year in jail. Fish and Wildlife asks anyone who noticed suspicious
behavior in the area between Nov. 7 and Dec. 2 to call (208) 378-5333.
