Rewards totaling more than $130,000 are being offered for information about a spate of wolf poaching incidents in Oregon.
Environmental groups said wolf poaching had become a big hindrance to the growth of the state’s wolf population, which has stayed static since 2020 at a minimum of 173 to 178 of the controversial apex predators .
“The horrific and illegal killing of wolves across Oregon has risen significantly over the past several years, and the damage reaches beyond individual animals,” said Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s affecting the overall wolf population numbers in Oregon. The last few years the annual growth of Oregon’s wolf population has been only a percentage point or so each year, definite evidence of stagnation.”
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department, Oregon Wildlife Coalition and Oregon Hunters Association have issued a collection of rewards for information about the incidents that lead to an arrest or citation. Hunter preference points could also be gained instead of cash, ODFW said.