Oregon wolf found dead

[Broken Arrow]

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) -- Wildlife experts say they believe the carcass of an animal found dead in northeastern Oregon is a wolf killed illegally.
 
The Oregon State Police say the animal was found in mid-March near Cove, east of La Grande on the flanks of the Wallowa Mountains. It had been dead a week.
 
The East Oregonian reports that tests were done at an Idaho state forensics laboratory. Oregon officials haven't disclosed the cause of death.
 
The state police say the state Endangered Species Act protects wolves in all parts of Oregon: They can't be killed except in the defense of human life or with a special permit. They are protected by federal law in western Oregon.
 
Information from: East Oregonian, http://www.eastoregonian.info

[fishinmike]

Here I will now shed a tear.

[huntnphool]

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) -- Wildlife experts say they believe the carcass of an animal found dead in northeastern Oregon is a wolf killed illegally.
 They can't be killed except in the defense of human life

 How do they know it wasn't?

[Woodchuck]

 

[Pathfinder101]

...sounds like a suicide to me....

[jeepasaurusrex]

Wildlife experts say they believe the carcass of an animal found dead in northeastern Oregon is a wolf killed illegally.

Sounds to me like they have already made up their mind and are trying to pin it on someone. 

[PlateauNDN]

...sounds like a suicide to me....

   Maybe he was frustrated because he got kicked out of pack, couldn't find his own mate, couldn't catch his own food and just finally gave up and took the easy way out?!?!?!

[pianoman9701]

He may have been suffering from head trauma and shot himself. Too early?

[Broken Arrow]

yeah a bit early! Only cause I liked that guy.

[mrmoskillz]

I hope the say what was in its stomach...a few pets, fawns?

[Special T]

I would guess that they have some info that it was shot, but that is a LONG way from proving anything... Just remeber it is MUCH harder to disprove an assumption when there isn't much evidence. So if the Feds say its a murder then if you speak against it you must have some info they need. 

[Broken Arrow]

Found a better story with more details.......


Animal found dead near Cove could be a wolf

Written by Katy Nesbitt, The Observer May 03, 2012 12:57 pm




 Necropsy reveals death was result of ‘criminal act’; genetic testing under way to determine if animal was a wolf
 
Authorities are still not sure whether a wolf or another kind of animal died in a Cove area pasture in March, but they say it was killed by a person and they aren’t saying how.
 
Genetic tests to confirm if the animal was a wolf have not been completed, authorities said Wednesday.
 
Kris Davis, a senior trooper with Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife, received a call March 16 about a dead animal on private property about six miles north of Cove.
 
Davis and Sgt. Isaac Cyr took the 97-pound animal to a veterinarian for X-rays. The initial examination didn’t confirm a cause of death, authorities said.
 
A necropsy completed in Idaho confirmed the death was the result of “a criminal act” about a week before it was found. The specific cause has not been released.
 
Bruce Eddy, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Northeast Oregon region manager, said the X-rays did not find an intact bullet, but there were potentially lead fragments.
 
Wolf sightings and tracks are not uncommon in the Cove area and biologists frequently receive reports of wolf activity. They documented a single set of wolf tracks Jan. 31 and in October 2011.
 
Since district biologists documented the tracks in January, they have conducted track surveys on snowmobiles covering more than 120 miles, said Eddy. The agency also installed remote cameras in the area, but no additional sign of wolves were found.
 
Sharon Beck, a Cove rancher, is Fish and Wildlife’s contact on wolf activity in the Grande Ronde Valley. She said on Feb. 14, close to where the dead animal was found, there was a sighting of what looked like a wolf crossing the road early in the morning.
 
“It had a wide face and a long tail and was packing something in its mouth,” said Beck.
 
Fish and Wildlife staff investigated, but found no tracks on the frozen ground. Beck said other reports of two “big coyotes” were also made in the same area. Beck said there had been reports in the valley between Cove and Elgin of three sets of tracks found together, indicating that ranchers need to be on the lookout for continued sightings.
 
Wolves are protected by the state Endangered Species Act throughout Oregon.

Except in the defense of human life or with a special permit, it is unlawful to kill a wolf.
 
Doing so is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine up to $6,250.
 
If the animal is a dog/wolf hybrid, the killing of it is not necessarily a criminal act.
 
On private property, shooting a dog that is threatening a human or chasing livestock is legal in the state of Oregon.
 
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Davis at 541-963-7175, ext. 4673 or email kris.davis@state.or.us.
 

[pianoman9701]

'...She said on Feb. 14, close to where the dead animal was found, there was a sighting of what looked like a wolf crossing the road early in the morning.
 
“It had a wide face and a long tail and was packing something in its mouth,” said Beck.'

She is also reported to say that it was really hard to identify because she observed it through a measly 3x scope at the time.  Poor doggy!

[Capt Morgan]

Thats a sad stort. The cute puppy is dead.

[PlateauNDN]

I like the second story better.  

Thats a sad stort. The cute puppy is dead.