$10,000 Reward For The Information Of The Gunman Who Shot The Famous White Wolf At The Yellowstone National Park

First Posted: May 16, 2017 04:20 AM EDT

The famous and rare white wolf at the Yellowstone National Park was shot by an unknown gunman between April 3 at 4 a.m. and April 11 at 2 p.m. MDT. The alpha female wolf has been euthanized because of the acuteness of her wounds.

The investigators theorized that someone on the Yellowstone's north side, possibly near Gardine, Mont., mortally shot the rare white wolf. The hikers found the injured 12-year-old wolf on April 11. The necropsy results showed that the wolf was shot, according to Fox 31.

The well-known white wolf is also known as the "Queen of Hayden Valley" white wolf. It was the most famous and photographed pack in the Yellowstone. She was about twice the age of other wolves in the park. She had the same mate for over nine years and had at least 20 pups.

The illegal killing of this white wolf outraged some advocacy groups and the visitors of the Yellowstone National Park. With this, two separate $5,000 rewards have been granted for information that would lead to the identity of the gunman of the rare white wolf.

Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk said that with the serious nature of this happening, a reward of up to $5,000 is offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for this criminal act. The Wolves of the Rockies, a wolf advocacy organization, also offered another $5,000 for a total of $10,000 that would lead to the information of the shooter.

The motive for the shooting is unclear. On the other hand, Marc Cook, the President of Wolves of the Rockies, speculated that the wolf's shooter could be someone angry about the reintroduction of wolves to the park over two decades ago. He said that people take matters into their own hands and feel they are above the law. The Park officials also said that several hunting outfitters and ranchers are against the presence of the wolves in the park that is now about 100 in number, according to Newser.