Snare Claims Wolf in Gruesome Fashion

A wolf in Minnesota was shot and killed this February after a truly horrible encounter with a strangling snare. Wolves are not legal targets for such devices, but snares are sanctioned year-round to kill coyotes in the state. The wolf, investigating the bait, ended up with the wire wrapped tightly around his muzzle. When he was initially spotted near a state park north of Duluth, his mouth was clamped shut and the wire was cutting into his flesh.

The tortured animal eventually wandered into Duluth. Officers tried at first to come to his assistance but he proved elusive and a decision was made to put him down. Wildwoods, a local wildlife rehabilitator, reported that the animal “had been starving, and was a skeleton of fur and bones.” Wildwoods is drawing attention to the tragic incident to renew calls for a ban on such snares.