Yearling Wolf from Indigo Pack Dies in Vehicle Collision on Highway 138

On Tuesday, June 13, tragedy struck the Indigo Pack of the Umpqua National Forest when one of their young wolves, OR 143, was fatally struck by a vehicle on Highway 138 near the entrance to Lemolo Lake. Meghan Dugan, from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), confirmed the wolf's identity and the circumstances surrounding its unfortunate death. OR 143 was a male yearling, unique for his lack of fear and wariness of humans - a behavior likely nurtured by consistent feeding from people. This wolf was known for approaching vehicles, lying down near them, and showing an apparent indifference to human voice or car horns. This behavior led to a public notice by ODFW a few weeks ago about the unusual behavior. In an attempt to mitigate the potential danger, ODFW had previously trapped and collared OR 143 to track his movements. Also collared was OR-125, a two-year-old male dispersed from the Indigo Pack. OR-125, similar to OR 143, had shown an unusual lack of wariness around people. Their collective behavior not only posed a risk to humans but also to pets, particularly dogs, due to wolves' territorial nature towards other canines. In light of the recent incident, ODFW, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Umpqua National Forest are advising the public to exercise caution in areas known for wolf activity. Leashing dogs is strongly recommended to prevent potential confrontations with the territorial creatures. The death of OR 143 is currently under further investigation by the USFWS. As wildlife officials work towards ensuring safety and co-existence, they urge the public to report any aggressive or unusual wolf behavior directly to ODFW. For more safety tips and information, please visit the ODFW's page on human interactions with wolves: https://dfw.state.or.us/Wolves/human_interactions.asp Photo is of a wolf from the Indigo pack up near Lemolo Lake by Chris Brady, in February 2021