$51,100 Reward Offered For Information On Washington Wolf Poisonings After Two More Tragic Wolf Deaths Are Confirmed

This week, conservation and animal-protection groups announced an increased reward of $51,100 for information leading to a conviction in the illegal poisoning deaths of six wolves in northeastern Washington earlier this year.

As previously reported by WAN, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife staff initially found four dead wolves on February 18th. During searches the following month, two more dead wolves were discovered. The department updated its report by including these two additional deaths and confirmed that all six wolves died from ingesting poison.

“Washington wolves are being attacked on all sides, and the state needs to pull out the stops to find these poachers and make sure they can’t kill again,” Sophia Ressler, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “It is devastating that even more wolves are dead. We need to send a clear message that this is unacceptable and there are serious consequences for illegal poisonings.”

Jocelyn Leroux, Washington and Montana Director of Western Watersheds Projects said that the six poisoned wolves and the fact that there are no answers after eight months is “a dark spot on Washington’s wolf recovery efforts.”

“If we want to recover wolves in Washington and change their listing status, we need to stop killing them by both legal and illegal means,” stated Chris Bachman of Kettle Range Conservation Group. “Every wolf killed is one less wolf that can disperse across the state and aid recovery. In addition to poaching, numerous wolves are killed each year by the Department of Fish and Wildlife and Tribes.”

“It is bad enough that the department killed a wolf pup and other members of several packs. Now numerous wolves have been poisoned,” noted Rachel Bjork, President of the Northwest Animal Rights Network. “This is unacceptable. Wolves are an important part of the ecosystem and they deserve protection, not persecution.”

“The #RelistWolves Campaign is angered by the news of the six unnecessary wolf poisonings in Washington this past February. We applaud the efforts of those who have launched a $51,000 reward seeking information on these brutal and illegal killings. Our campaign stands with these groups as we band together to demand wolf protection under the Endangered Species Act,” Leslie Williams, founding member of the #RelistWolves Campaign, told WAN.

“Wolf recovery requires us to develop a healthy relationship with wolves and advance non-lethal measures that support wolf recovery. Once found, we demand that these offenders face immediate legal consequences for their crimes,” concluded Williams.

Anyone with information regarding the wolf killings can report it confidentially by calling the department’s poaching hotline at (877) 933-9847, visiting the department’s website and reporting a violation, or texting WDFWTIP to 847411.

You can also Take Action by urging your representatives to put pressure on Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and President Biden to #RelistWolves, HERE!