BAKER CITY — Conservation groups are increasing the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever shot a female gray wolf in Eastern Oregon.

The wolf, killed about Oct. 29, was found by a hunter in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest about 8 miles northeast of Halfway, within the territory of the Pine Creek Pack.

A coalition of groups — including the Center for Biological Diversity, Northwest Animal Rights Network, Oregon Wild and Predator Defense — are offering $7,300 on top of the $300 provided by Oregon State Police for information about the case.

It is the second wolf apparently poached in Baker County this fall.

Last month, the breeding male from the Cornucopia Pack was shot and killed about 15 miles west of where the female wolf was found. The reward in that case stands at $6,150.

“The killing of a second Oregon wolf within the last several weeks is an absolute outrage,” said Brooks Fahy, executive director of Predator Defense, a national nonprofit organization. “It is critical that this criminal be brought to justice.”

OSP Capt. Tim Fox has said “there’s no reason, at this point” to believe the shootings are connected.

Oregon is home to at least 158 wolves, according to the latest population estimate from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Most are concentrated in the northeast corner of the state.

While the Trump administration recently announced its final rule to lift endangered species protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 states, it remains illegal to kill wolves under the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, except in limited circumstances to protect human life and livestock.

Amaroq Weiss, senior West Coast wolf advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, said Oregon’s wolf population faces an increasing poaching problem that threatens recovery of the species.

“With federal protections disappearing soon, we fear these two recent wolf poachings could become just the tip of the iceberg,” Weiss said. “We’ve got to crack down on these illegal killings.”

Since 2000, ODFW has documented 54 wolf mortalities; 15 were illegally killed. Six others were killed accidentally and three causes of death are still undetermined.

Seventeen wolves have also been legally killed following multiple confirmed livestock depredations, or caught in the act of chasing livestock.

In 2017, a man shot a wolf in self-defense while hunting in northeast Oregon.

Arrests and convictions have only been made in two wolf poaching cases, advocates say.

“It’s clear that we need to take a new approach toward the lawless disregard some have toward Oregon’s wildlife,” said Danielle Moser, wildlife program coordinator for Oregon Wild. “Our current system is not up to the task of bringing criminals to justice.”

Rodger Huffman, a Northeast Oregon rancher and co-chairman of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association wolf committee, said large cash rewards do nothing to recognize the challenge of living with wolves.

Huffman said the state wolf plan has been “heavy on conservation” since it was first adopted, leading to a loss of credibility and confidence in the state’s management of the species.

“We incur more expense and more stress now, even if there is not a kill or a state-approved ‘confirmed’ event,” Huffman said. “We have to prove that we are not attracting wolf activity and show we are doing everything possible to prevent wolf attacks. The true number of (livestock) losses would be staggering if we really knew, just like if we knew the true number of wolves in our state.”

Huffman said the state must adopt more responsive wolf management policies, and “not weigh so heavy on conservation that common sense is thrown out the window.”

“Not acting when warranted leads to multiple packs around Oregon teaching a new set of pups every year that domestic livestock is an easy meal with little resistance and virtually no penalty,” he said. “This is unacceptable, and shame on the pro-wolf crowd for encouraging the agencies to perpetuate this behavior.”