After receiving a call from a local resident, a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer found the critically injured wolf on Birch Lake. Snowmobile tracks on the lake surface indicated the animal had been struck twice by snowmobiles. Although still able to run after the initial strike, upon being struck a second time the animal suffered two broken legs and apparent internal injuries. After discovering the condition of the animal, the Conservation Officer was forced to destroy it. No arrests have been made in the case.
Because of their listing on the federal threatened species list, gray wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act. The fine for taking (killing, harming or harassing) a threatened species such as the gray wolf within the United States is $25,000 and/or six months in federal prison. Protecting endangered and threatened species and restoring them to a secure status in the wild is the primary objective of the FWS endangered species program.
This illegal killing follows a related incident in Marshall County during the firearms deer season, when a radio-collared wolf was shot. The Marshall County wolf had been part of a research program conducted by biologists at the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge near Middle River, Minnesota.
Anyone having information pertaining to these incidents should contact a FWS Special Agent at (218) 720-5357 or Turn In Poachers (TIP) at (800) 652-9093. Callers may remain anonymous.
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
