Feds probe northern Minn. wolf killings, offer reward for information
Updated 3:35 p.m. | Posted 2:05 p.m.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a $2,500 reward for information tied to the illegal killing of three gray wolves in northern Minnesota.
The wolves were discovered last month dead off the road off Minnesota Highway 8 near Floodwood, about 45 miles west of Duluth, agency spokesperson Tina Shaw said. "We'd love the public's help in closing the case."
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It's illegal to kill a wolf in Minnesota except in self-defense. Otherwise it can lead to six months in jail and a fine of up to $25,000. A federal judge placed Great Lakes wolves back under endangered species protection in December 2014.
"The wolf carcasses were discovered in a pile in the ditch just off the shoulder of the road, as though someone had driven up and dumped them off the edge of the shoulder," Shaw said.
A USFWS agent told Shaw they were frozen solid and in perfect condition. "There's a good chance that they were dumped there the night before they were called in," on Jan. 22, she added.
Evidence supports that the wolves were killed elsewhere and purposely moved to where they were found, she said. "There appear to be marks from a snare on the necks of the wolves," Shaw said.
The wolves were taken to the USFWS wildlife forensics lab in Ashland, Ore., for testing.
Rewards have led to arrests in the past, Shaw noted. People with information should call the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Turn in Poachers TIP line 1-800-652-9093.