As One Washington Wolf Poaching Case Comes To A Close, Others Remain A Mystery
Listen
Last month, a Washington resident was fined more than $8,000 for poaching three wolves in 2016. DNA evidence linked him to three separate kills, but other poaching cases remain unsolved.
Last month, Terry Leroy Fowler of Liberty Lake pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawfully killing wolves in Pend Oreille County in 2016. A third count was dismissed in a plea agreement.
“It’s no secret that wolves are an endangered species and classified as such in the state of Washington,” Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police Captain Dan Rahn said. “So, I don’t think there was any question there whether the person knew that it was unlawful or not, when you’re taking wolves and trapping and killing them.”
Rahn said evidence at the scene led investigators to Fowler, but that doesn’t happen in every poaching case.
Back in December, two wolves were found dead elsewhere in northeastern Washington. The unlawful kills prompted environmental groups to offer a $20,000 reward, but officials say so far, that hasn’t incentivized anyone to come forward.
Copyright 2018 Northwest News Network
Related Stories:
Inspectors find 21 gallons of invasive mussels on tugboat outside of Spokane
A close-up of the thumbnail-sized invasive quagga and zebra mussels found on a tugboat in January. (Credit: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife) Read It was a close call along
Sniffing out invasive mussels to protect Washington’s waters
Fin is about 4 years old and is a Catahoula leopard dog, blue lacy and Australian kelpie mix. He can inspect up to 140 boats per day. (Credit: Courtney Flatt
Fatal deer disease found in Washington for the first time
Mule deer in tall grasses and forbs, Iwetemlaykin Heritage Site, Wallowa Valley, Oregon. (Credit: Leon Werdinger / Alamy Stock Photo) watch Listen (Runtime 0:59) Read A fatal disease for deer
