JARDINE — Last month, a wolf was illegally killed near Gardiner. Now, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is searching for answers.
“In this case, it looked like the collar was removed deliberately,” said Montana FWP Information Officer Morgan Jacobsen.
As Jacobsen explains, the search for information about this wolf started when officials received a mortality signal from its collar.
WATCH - Reward Offered After Wolf Killed:
“The information that we get from these collars helps with a lot of management decisions when it comes to habitat use, when it comes to migration and movement corridors…” said Jacobsen.
Usually, the collar will fall off on its own after a certain amount of time. But:
“In the case of the wolf down by Gardiner, that collar was removed intentionally. It was cut off from the animal and then thrown into a tree,” said Jacobsen.
When officials went to search for the wolf, they didn’t find a carcass, leading them to believe it had been killed illegally.
“Hunting wolves in that unit closed on November 16th,” said Jacobsen. “We believe this wolf was killed around 10 p.m. on Christmas Day.”
As for information about the specific wolf, it has been identified as a female, according to Gardiner game warden Kameron Rauser.
Jacobsen said something like this has happened before.
“We have incidents like this for many species throughout the year, so this is another one of those,” said Jacobsen.
Almost a month after the wolf was illegally killed, the investigation is still ongoing and the carcass has not been found.
“As a state fish and wildlife management agency, it’s our job to uphold the law and to manage all these species,” said Jacobsen.
Montana FWP announced Thursday an increase in the reward for information from $1,000 to $31,000, thanks to the Large Carnivore Fund and Wolves of the Rockies.
“I think they just want to be supportive in making sure that people who have information have a good incentive to share so that the investigation can go forward,” said Jacobsen.
If you have any information related to this investigation, visit tipmont.mt.gov or contact Kameron Rauser at 406-224-5207.
