Reward offered for information about poisoning of three wolves, two golden eagles in Wallowa County
ENTERPRISE — Authorities are urgently seeking information after the discovery of three gray wolves and two golden eagles illegally killed in Wallowa County, according to a press release.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Oregon State Police announced a joint effort to investigate the deaths, offering a $25,000 reward for any leads resulting in an arrest, criminal conviction or civil penalty assessment.
The grisly findings were made from February through March by state police in the Lightning Creek drainage area, a tributary to the Imnaha River. Among the remains were those of the wolves, eagles, a cougar and a coyote. Tests conducted by the Clark R. Bavin National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory confirmed the female gray wolf, male gray wolf, uncollared gray juvenile wolf and the two golden eagles had been killed by poison.
The location of the killings falls within the Snake River Wildlife Management Unit and Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, approximately 11 miles northeast of Imnaha.
While gray wolves in Wallowa County are not listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, they are protected by Oregon state law. Similarly, eagles are federally protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
