By BRAINERD DISPATCH
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday called for the public’s help in the investigation of the illegal killing of three wolves found off Highway 8 near Floodwood.
Working in conjunction with conservation officers from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the USFWS seeks information related to the killings of three gray wolves found together in January.
Evidence has been gathered from the scene and a criminal investigation is currently underway, the USFWS said.
A reward of up to $2,500 is available for information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the responsible parties.
In addition to the USFWS’s reward offer, The Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust offered a reward of up to $5,000 for “information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.” The HSUS deemed it a “thrill kill” in a release Friday.
The wolves appeared to have snare marks on their necks and evidence indicated they may have been killed elsewhere and dumped near the road, possibly the night before the DNR received the report, the Humane Society release said. The bodies were sent to USFWS’s forensics lab in Oregon to determine how the animals were killed.
“There is no excuse for deliberately killing three members of a threatened species and discarding the animals like litter along the road for all to see,” Christine Coughlin, Minnesota state director for The HSUS, said in the release. “The poacher responsible has callously wasted the lives of these wolves and removed them from their pack during breeding season, which can cause serious disruption in pack structure. We’re hopeful this reward will bring forward anyone with information about this heinous crime.”
The gray wolf is currently listed under the Endangered Species Act as threatened in Minnesota. Killing a gray wolf is a violation of the Act, punishable by imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of up to $25,000.
Those with information on the case are asked to call the DNR’s Turn in Poachers line at 800-652-9093.