KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) — Another gray wolf has been found dead in Oregon, marking the third such unsolved death of a federally protected wolf in the past year, state and federal wildlife officials said. Another wolf was shot by a hunter who claimed self-defense.
The wolf was found dead Oct. 29 in Klamath County on state forest land. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has offered a $5,000 reward for information on the killing, authorities said Monday.
The wolf was known to biologists as OR-25 and was wearing a tracking collar. It was believed to have killed a calf at a private ranch near Prospect earlier this year, according to state wildlife officials.
OR-33, another collared male, was found shot dead April 23 about 20 miles northwest of Klamath Falls in Fremont-Winema National Forest. OR-28, a collared female, was found dead Oct. 6, 2016, in Fremont-Winema National Forest near Summer Lake. All three investigations remain open, and authorities do not believe the latest wolf died of natural causes, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Brent Lawrence told the Mail Tribune.