A licensed trapper in Union County discovered a gray wolf in a foothold trap in December, according to Oregon State Police, then shot and killed it.

Trooper say the 58-year-old Elgin man told wildlife investigators that he discovered the gray wolf in a trap he had placed in rural Union County in mid-December. But upon finding the animal, police say, David Sanders shot the wolf "in the spinal column" and left it in the trap.

Wildlife enforcement officers subsequently discovered the wolf and subsequently found their way to Sanders.

The incident is the latest illegal killing of a wolf in Oregon.

Four wolves have been inadvertently caught by licensed trappers since the animals returned to the state in the late 200s. The animals were reintroduced in the Rocky Mountains in the mid-1990s and returned to Oregon after being exterminated in the mid-1940s.

In each of the previous four cases, the trapper contacted state officials. Wildlife biologists then were able to save the wolves and place a tracking collar on their necks.

Sanders was arraigned Jan. 23 in Union County Circuit Court on multiple misdemeanors, including illegally killing a "special status game animal." Sanders was a licensed trapper, but his foothold traps were not marked or branded, according to authorities.

Wolves have been removed from the state's endangered species list and from federal protection in parts of Eastern Oregon, including the area around Union County, but the canids remain protected under federal law throughout much of the state.

In Eastern Oregon, wolves can be legally killed in specific circumstances, such as if a rancher finds a wolf attacking its livestock or if the animals are determined to have repeatedly killed livestock in the area.

During the investigation, officials determined the wolf was a 64-pound juvenile female born in April 2017. Because of the location of the animal's death, state wildlife officials believe the wolf was related to a new breeding pair in the Mt. Emily area in Union County. More information about Oregon's wolf population is expected to be released in March when the wildlife department releases its annual wolf report.

Rob Klavins, the nonprofit Oregon Wild's coordinator in Northeast Oregon, described the incident as poaching. Poaching is a serious problem in Oregon," he said in an email. "For far too long, wolf poachers have been able to escape justice. We are grateful to Oregon State Police for finding and charging this poacher."

Klavins said he hoped Sanders gets "more than a slap on the wrist."



-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen