Agassiz Refuge biologists are currently tracking six radio-collared wolves as part of the project, which was designed to learn more about the movements of wolves in agricultural areas and their role in livestock depredation. Data collected will also help determine how well wolves acclimate to human activity.
This type of information is very helpful as we move forward toward reclassifying and delisting the wolf, said Refuge Manager Margaret Anderson. Once delisted or taken off the federal list of threatened species, the management of wolf populations will be at the discretion of state authorities. The wolf is an animal that tends to evoke strong emotions of love, hate, fear, or awe. To some their presence means livestock losses, to others they represent wilderness. Either way wolves have always had a place in our rural landscape, and they still do today.
The wolf killed was the alpha or dominant breeding female in her pack and had raised four pups this year. The animal was found dead by researchers approximately four miles southeast of the refuge. A necropsy performed by University of Minnesota veterinarians revealed death was caused by bullet wounds.
The fine for taking (killing) a threatened species such as the gray wolf within the United States is $25,000 and/or six months in federal prison. Anyone having information pertaining to this incident should contact a FWS Special Agent at (218) 720-5357.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
