PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — Police and Oregon wildlife officials are offering rewards totaling over $130,000 for information leading to an arrest or citation in various wolf poaching incidents throughout the state over the last two years.
Wolf poaching has been a growing concern, especially since gray wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act in the western two-thirds of Oregon.
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According to an April report from the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management, the state’s wolf population did not grow at all in 2023 . This marked the first year of zero annual growth in 16 years.
Most recently, officials discovered a dead gray wolf on private property in Morrow County, 20 miles south of Heppner, on Nov. 8, 2024 and are offering a $20,000 reward for information.