Rangers at Yellowstone National Park are reportedly trying to solve the mystery of what happened to a well-known female wolf from one of the area’s most famous packs — and the leading theory is that she was illegally shot and killed by poachers.
A $31,000 reward has been put out for information on who killed Wolf 1478F, who went missing on Christmas Day after officials got a “mortality signal” from its tracking collar, according to advocacy groups and officials from the park.
The female gray wolf belonged to the Junction Butte pack — arguably the most viewed and photographed wolf family, thanks to its proximity to Yellowstone’s busy roads, officials said.
After getting the signal from the tracker that the beloved lupine had died, investigators tried to find her carcass, but found nothing but her collar, which was severed and tossed into a tree, the activist group Large Carnivore Fund said.
As they couldn’t find body, the officials believe that she was likely killed and taken away by poachers.
The hit took place in Montana’s Wolf Management Unit 313 — an area that had been closed for hunting since Nov. 16 after the legal quota had already been met.
Because the Junction Butte pack spends most of its time within the safety of the national park, the animals have little fear of humans. The Junction Butte pack had 15 members in its pack in November, according to a wolf technician at the park. Of those 15, 13 were black wolves and 2 were gray wolves.
There is a $31,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of whoever shot her. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks had first announced a $1,000 reward, but in a show of unity, two wolf advocacy groups also contributed an additional $30,000
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