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
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Who shot the wolf?.
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