Federal officials probe death of wild wolf near Weston
By Chris Hunt - Assistant Managing Editor
POCATELLO - Federal wildlife officials are looking into the death of a wild wolf near Weston, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Carter Niemeyer, wolf recovery coordinator for the USFWS in Boise, said enforcement officers for the federal agency are investigating the death, but declined to comment further on the matter.
"Whenever there's a dead wolf, that's law enforcement's area of expertise," Niemeyer said. "And we're forbidden to comment on the work they (law enforcement officers) are doing."
Craig Tabor, a USFWS law enforcement officer, drove Wednesday from Boise to Pocatello to inspect the carcass.
"All we know at this point is the animal that has been killed is a wolf," Tabor said via telephone. "The matter will be looked into and is under investigation. I really can't say how it will be handled until we are in possession of all the facts."
Idaho Department of Fish and Game officer Tom Lucia responded Tuesday to a call he received from the Weston area claiming a wolf had been killed.
"I went down there to determine if in fact it was a wolf," Lucia said. He declined to reveal the exact location of the carcass and he also wouldn't reveal the cause of death, saying a release of further details is on hold until federal wildlife officers have a chance to investigate.
Fish and Game is not involved in wolf management in Idaho - when wolves were reintroduced to the state in 1995, Idaho's administration refused to take a role in managing the predator.
Lucia, who said he has little experience with wolves, believes the dead animal is a wolf, "but I can't be certain until the DNA analysis is done," he said. "In my opinion, in all likelihood, it's a wolf."
A number of wolf sightings in southeast Idaho were reported in recent months.
Coyote hunters near Malad reported seeing several wolves in the mountains east of Arbon Valley in late 2002, and others have reported seeing wolves and wolf sign near the Dry Valley phosphate mine northeast of Soda Springs.
Lucia said there have been "a number of sightings" in the region, and Fish and Game officer Corey Owens, who is based in Preston, said he'd received several reports of wolf sightings in recent days.
Wolves in southeast Idaho are likely animals roaming from Yellowstone National Park, although it's possible the animals migrated south from central Idaho.
About 60 wolves were reintroduced into the Northern Rockies in 1995. Estimates put wolf population numbers between 500 and 600.