Another Big Smoky Pack Wolf Illegally Shot Dead.

This time it's the alpha male.

12-12-2000

Sadly a second member of the new Big Smoky wolf pack has been illegally shot dead. This time it's the alpha male, B96M. A big newcomer to the pack, also a male, was found shot in the same general area (within 10 miles) in late November.

Here is the news release from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Here is the story on the last killing. A large Idaho Wolf Shot Dead southwest of Hailey. Nov. 28.

This pack was a considered to be a breeding pair. The stupid killer has guaranteed that the year 2000 will not be the first year of the countdown to delisting because it appears there is now no way there are 30 breeding pairs of wolves in the Northern Rockies wolf recovery area.

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Contact: --Rich McDonald or Paul Weyland - (208) 378-5333

ANOTHER WOLF FOUND DEAD IN CAMAS COUNTY, IDAHO

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement agents have confirmed the death of another gray wolf in Camas County, Idaho. B-96, the alpha male of the Smoky Mountain Pack, was recovered on December 4, 2000. The dead wolf was found near Lick Creek about 20 miles north of Fairfield.

The Nez Perce Tribe's aerial monitoring efforts indicated that the wolf was last seen alive on November 22, 2000. The Service's forensics laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, confirmed that B-96 suffered from a gunshot wound.

B-96 is the second wolf to have been shot in this area of Camas County. A male gray wolf, B-57, was found dead on November 23, 2000, about 8-10 miles from where B-96 was most recently discovered. Special Agent Paul Weyland noted that, "We have received several excellent leads and many calls regarding the death of B-57, and we will aggressively pursue our investigation of the death of B-96 as well. If wolves continue to be injured or killed, Idaho will not reach its recovery goal, which means wolves will remain an endangered species for a longer time." Carter Niemeyer, Idaho Wolf Recovery Coordinator, supported Weyland's statement, stating, "This senseless act of
criminal behavior only prolongs our efforts to begin the countdown to delist wolves in the Northern Rockies."

The Service has offered a $2,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the killing of the wolf. In addition, Defenders of Wildlife has contributed another $2,000 toward the reward.  "There are troubling signs that these two wolf killings may point to a larger pattern.  What the killers don't realize, or don't care about, is that they are undermining the hard work of ranchers, conservationists and others on gray wolf recovery, pushing off further any chance of removing the strict protections for wolves
under the Endangered Species Act.  Wolves, ranchers, local communities -- in fact, everybody loses if these illegal killings don't stop," said Suzanne Laverty, Defenders of Wildlife Pacific Northwest representative.

The killing of an animal protected under the Endangered Species Act is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000 and one year in jail. The Service is requesting that anyone who may have information regarding the illegal killing of B-96, or who might have noticed suspicious behavior in this area between November 7th and December 2, please contact law enforcement agents immediately at (208) 378-5333.

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