Poacher Illegally Shoots 'Rising Star' Female Wolf from Yellowstone's Most Viewed Pack, Officials Say By Sean Neumann

A young wolf seen as a “rising star” in one of the most famous packs in the world was shot and killed last month just outside of Yellowstone National Park, officials announced — and wildlife advocates are calling for justice against the alleged poacher who pulled the trigger.

Local wildlife experts said the wolf, identified as Wolf 1478F, was next in line to become the alpha female of the Junction Butte pack, ABC News reported.

An SFGate report on the wolf’s shooting called the Junction Butte pack “arguably the world’s most famous wolf pack” due to the amount of people who view the pack annually around Yellowstone National Park. 

Yellowstone officials said the pack — which formed in 2012 in the northern section of the park — was perhaps “the most viewed wolf pack in the world” in a 2021 statement.

“They are the most observed pack in Yellowstone because they den within view of the Northeast Entrance Road and the road to Slough Creek Campground, providing thousands of visitors daily views,” park officials said, per the statement.

The recent shooting of Wolf 1478F is believed to have happened around 10 p.m. on Christmas Day last month, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Officials first grew concerned about the animal after its tracking collar stopped moving, sending out a distress signal to agency officials.

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said officials went to the location where the collar last pinged and found that it had been cut off the animal’s neck and thrown into a tree.

SFGate reported that the shooting occurred just outside the park’s northern border where hunting is typically legal. However, local restrictions place a quota on the number of wolves that can be hunted each season and that quota — three wolves, per the outlet — had been met on Nov. 16, making the Christmas Day shooting illegal.

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A suspect has not yet been identified as of Thursday, Jan. 29, and park and state officials say they are still investigating the incident.

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks initially offered a $1,000 reward for information about the shooting, but the reward was increased to $30,000 following donations from the Large Carnivore Fund and Wolves of the Rockies advocacy organizations.

Marc Cooke, the president of the Wolves of the Rockies organization, told PEOPLE that Wolf 1478F’s shooting was a “heartbreaking event.”

“The death of Wolf 1478F should force us to ask: if we can’t safeguard a monitored, world-famous Yellowstone wolf, what chance do the rest of America’s predators have?” Cooke said.