Wildlife

Who shot the wolf?

Clair Johnson March 3, 1997 From the print edition
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  A large gray wolf set free into the greater Yellowstone ecosystem was shot in January and dumped in the Madison River, 15 miles south of Three Forks, Mont. Authorities picked at the ice for an hour to free the wolf carcass, says U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent Commodore Mann.


An X-ray of the animal indicates it was shot several times, including through the head at close range, he says. Mann identified the wolf as R-28, the alpha male of the Nez Perce wolf pack. The wolf had not been traveling with the pack for several months, but had been monitored in both Idaho and in Yellowstone National Park. "This one has been everywhere," Mann told the Billings Gazette.


The federal agency is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to the person or persons responsible for the wolf's death. Anyone with a lead should call the Fish and Wildlife Service at 406/449-5225.


*Clair Johnson


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