Info sought on dead wolf
05/31/02
By SCOTT McMILLION Chronicle Staff Writer
A female wolf was found dead in Paradise Valley and federal lawmen are
offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest
of whoever killed the animal.
“If anybody has any information on this critter, give us a call,” Doug
Goessman, a special agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said
Thursday.
A private citizen found the adult wolf Tuesday and notified authorities on
Wednesday, Goessman said.
It had been dead for several days, he said, leading him to believe it had
been killed sometime over the Memorial Day weekend.
“We’re looking for anybody who might have seen something over the
weekend,” Goessman said. “We’re considering this a crime.”
The carcass was found not far from a two-track road about four miles past
the Sixmile trailhead sign.
“They knew what they were doing,” he said of whoever dispatched the
animal. He declined to release many details, but encouraged anybody who
might know something to call.
He said he wants to know if anybody saw people or vehicles in the area or
if they saw anybody “with blood on their hands.”
The Sixmile drainage is occupied by a resident wolf pack, which is in the
midst of an intense controversy over the effects that wolves are having on
elk numbers in and near Yellowstone National Park.
Some in the area maintain that wolves are devastating local and migratory
elk herds. Biologists say elk numbers are down over the past couple years
but it’s too early to tell the long term impacts.
Anybody who volunteers information can remain anonymous, and a conviction
does not have to result for an informant to be eligible for a reward.
If someone is convicted, however, he or she could be fined as much as
$10,000 and jailed for up to six months.
Wolves are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.
People with information can call 582 0336 or 1 800 TIP MONT.