Another gray wolf has been found dead in Oregon.
This is the third known illegal killing of a federally protected wolf within last year.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says the wolf was found dead in Klamath County on Oct. 29 on state forest land. The wolf was known to biologists at OR-25. It was believed to have killed a calf at a private ranch near Prospect earlier this year.
Another dead wolf carcass was discovered April 23 in the Fremont-Winema National Forest but federal officials only confirmed the animal was OR-33 in early October.
On Oct. 6, 2016, a female wolf, OR-28, was found dead in the same forest near Summer Lake. All three animals were wearing tracking collars at the time of their deaths.
In all three cases, US wildlife officials are offering a $5,000 reward for information about the killings.
Two days ago, a 83-pound female wolf has been reported shot in self-defense in Oregon for the first time since they began returning to the state in the late 1990s.
Gray wolves are listed as a federally endangered species in western Oregon and killing one is a federal crime, except in defense of human life (and in certain instances involving wolf depredation of livestock).
