Endangered apex predator found dead in Oregon, officials say. $30.5K reward offered

Helena Wegner, The Bradenton Herald on Mar 20, 2025

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An endangered gray wolf was found illegally killed in Oregon, wildlife officials said.

Now, a combined reward of $30,500 is being offered to anyone who has “information that leads to an arrest, criminal conviction or civil penalty assessment,” the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said in a March 19 news release and the Center for Biological Diversity reported.

The apex predator’s body was discovered by wildlife officers March 10 near Sisters.

Officials said it was an adult male gray wolf that belonged to the Metolius pack.

Although this animal was found in Deschutes County, most gray wolves in this area spend their time in Jefferson County, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said.

Gray wolves are federally protected in both of these counties.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is offering a $10,000 reward in addition to $10,500 from the Center for Biological Diversity and the Wolf Welcome Committee. The Oregon Wildlife Coalition also offers a $10,000 reward when a wolf is illegally killed.

These three awards total $30,500.

“Any illegal killing of these magnificent animals is tragic but the poaching of the Metolius pack’s breeding male may have consigned the pack’s pups to death by starvation or the pack to dissolve,” Amaroq Weiss, the senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a news release.

Anyone with information can contact U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at 503-682-6131, the Oregon State Police Dispatch at 800-452-7888, *OSP (*677) or email TIP@osp.oregon.gov.

Sisters is about a 20-mile drive northwest from Bend.

What to know about gray wolves

Not all gray wolves in Oregon are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Some gray wolves were relisted as an endangered species in the state on Feb. 11, 2022, wildlife officials said. Protected animals include ones that are found west of Highways 395-78-95.

Those found east of these highways are managed under the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan.

In 2023, there were at least 178 wolves in the state, including 22 packs.

While gray wolves in name, they can be many different colors, including white, gray and black, wildlife officials said.

“Approximately half of any gray wolf population actually is gray,” the agency said.

In the U.S., they can be found in many states, including Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, Michigan and Wisconsin, according to the National Wildlife Federation.

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