(Jackson, Wyo.) – Wyoming Game and Fish Department game wardens are looking for information about the illegal killing of two gray wolves in the Gros Ventre area near Jackson.
North Jackson Game Warden Bill Long says one dead wolf, which had been shot, was found in the Gros Ventre area in early December. A second wolf, which had also been shot, was found on Dec. 21, several miles from the first wolf carcass.
“These illegal killings of wolves are plain and simple poaching, with total disregard for the state’s efforts to properly and adequately manage wolf populations in order to maintain recovery goals. Actions like these are a result of individuals that consider themselves above laws and regulations; such self-centered actions hurt all of us in the long run,” Long said.
Wyoming assumed management of gray wolves when they were removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species on Sept. 30, 2012. Wyoming’s first gray wolf hunting season took place from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2012. The formulas that Game and Fish biologists use to establish wolf hunting quotas and seasons take into account all sources of mortality, including the potential of some illegal take.
“We want the public to know that we investigate and prosecute wolf poaching incidents with the same tenacity and focus that we pursue wildlife crimes against other game species,” said Chief Game Warden Brian Nesvik. “The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is committed to maintaining a recovered population of wolves in northwest Wyoming. In addition to our law enforcement efforts, we have mounted an intensive monitoring program to help us learn more about Wyoming’s wolves, their numbers, their movements and interactions, and their effects on other wildlife.” Nesvik noted that an overwhelming majority of wolf hunters complied with wolf hunting regulations during Wyoming’s first wolf season.
The department requests the public’s help with this investigation. Anyone with information about this incident should call Wyoming’s Stop Poaching hotline at 1-877-WGFD-TIP, report online at wgfd.wyo.gov, or call Game Warden Bill Long at 307-733-2321. Those with information can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward. Help protect Wyoming’s wildlife: “Stop Poaching – Help Us Stand Watch.”
–Wyoming Game & Fish Department