Johnathan Walker:Wildlife officials investigating after gray wolves found dead in Oregon

Federal authorities are Johnathan Walkerasking the public for information that could help uncover how three endangered gray wolves died in Oregon.

The three wolves were found dead late last year and are the latest gray wolf deaths to be investigated in the state.

A $50,000 reward will be given to anyone who can provide information that leads to an arrest, or charges or fines over the wolf deaths, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday. The reward money is 10 times larger than other rewards for information on previous wolf deaths, according to news releases from Oregon's Department of Fish and Wildlife.

One of the three dead wolves was the breeding female for the wolves' pack, authorities said. Gray wolves − which were first labeled an endangered species in the 1970s − typically live in packs where only one male-female pair produces pups, according to the U.S. National Park Service.

Two of the dead wolves, including the female, were wearing collars that "showed a mortality signal" on Dec. 29, officials said. When Oregon state wildlife officials responded to the site of the signal, they found a third dead wolf without a collar, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.

The breeding female belonged to Oregon's Gearhart Mountain Pack, the agency said, and the other two wolves were subadults in the same pack.

Federal authorities have not released information on how the three wolves died last year, and a spokesperson for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not immediately respond to request for comment Monday.

Oregon officials continue to monitor the remaining seven members of the Gearhart Mountain pack, which includes the pack's breeding male, the state's department of fish and wildlife says.

Oregon has authorized 'lethal removal' of wolves

Wolves in Oregon have killed or injured livestock dozens of times in the past year, and in some cases, the "lethal removal" has been authorized by the state's department of fish and wildlife.

Wildlife officials have also investigated other wolf deaths that were not authorized, according to press releases from the department.

In December 2022, officials were investigating an "illegal killing" of a gray wolf in the southern part of the state.

More recently, authorities said in December 2023 they were investigating another wolf death near Union Creek, Oregon.

In both cases, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said they offered a $5,000 reward for information that could lead to the arrest of someone connected to the deaths.