“Possible” wolf poaching in Union County was a crime

Carcass found in March is now confirmed to be the latest illegal kill.

Several wolves have been illegally killed since they began recovering in Oregon in the late 1990's including this wolf from the Wenaha Pack. The state has yet to prosecute anyone. (photo courtesy ODFW)

Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife released an update on the possible wolf killing in Union County.

The killing part has been confirmed, the agencies reported today, but not the wolf part.

They’re still working on genetic tests to confirm whether the dead animal found in mid-March is really a wolf – and therefore protected by the state Endangered Species Act.

However, a necropsy confirmed the animal/wolf died as a result of a criminal act, according to today’s news release. The agencies are not releasing the actual cause of death.

Michelle Dennehy of ODFW said the reason the agencies aren’t saying for sure it was a wolf because they’re still testing to make sure it wasn’t a genetic one-off from the protected wild wolf species.

“The appearance and size makes us believe it is a wolf,” she said. “But we do want to rule out that it’s not a hybrid wolf or a tame pet wolf.”

Click here to learn more about wolf recovery in Oregon