Radio collar leads biologists to dead wolf

ENTERPRISE, Ore. -- One of the Oregon wolves collared with a tracking device last Friday was found dead Tuesday in Wallowa County.

The yearling female from the Imnaha pack was captured and fitted with a radio collar on Friday, Feb. 25.

The wolf’s radio collar emitted a signal indicating it had been motionless for a minimum of four hours, the Oregon Department of Wildlife said.

ODFW located the wolf and determined she dead Tuesday afternoon.

The wolf’s carcass is being transported to Washington State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for a complete examination.

While recovering the carcass, ODFW staff observed no visible indication of foul play or any other cause of death, the agency said.

“Wolves and other wildlife can die in the wild for a variety of reasons,” said Russ Morgan, ODFW wolf coordinator. “U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and ODFW are working together to evaluate the death of this wolf, but we will not speculate on the cause until we receive results from a complete forensic examination.”

“While this individual wolf’s death is unfortunate, it is not expected to change the status of the pack, which at last count, had 14 other wolves,” he added.

ODFW said it did not know when the forensic examination would be complete.