PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) — Wildlife experts say they believe the carcass of an animal found dead in northeastern Oregon is a wolf killed illegally.
The Oregon State Police say the animal was found in mid-March near Cove, east of La Grande on the flanks of the Wallowa Mountains. It had been dead a week.
The East Oregonian reports (http://bit.ly/II0rZs) that tests were done at an Idaho state forensics laboratory. Oregon officials haven’t disclosed the cause of death.
The state police say the state Endangered Species Act protects wolves in all parts of Oregon: They can’t be killed except in the defense of human life or with a special permit. They are protected by federal law in western Oregon.
