# ‘An abomination’: Idaho hunters earned thousands of dollars to kill newborn wolf pups, records reveal

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/an-abomination-idaho-hunters-earned-thousands-of-dollars-to-kill-newborn-wolf-pups-records-reveal/
- Published: 2026-11-06T12:00:42+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T12:27:45+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/06/idaho-hunters-newborn-wolf-pups
- Topics: Environment, Politics, Science, World

## Key points

- Idaho paid hunters $2,000 for each of 12 newborn wolf pups killed.
- The pups were likely one to three weeks old.
- State policy aims to reduce the wolf population to about 650.

## Summary

Idaho records show that hunters were paid to kill 12 newborn wolf pups this spring, including what appears to have been at least one whole litter near its den. The payments have angered wildlife advocates and renewed debate over a state programme to reduce wolf numbers amid pressure from ranchers and hunting outfitters.

Three hunters killed the pups in the northern panhandle on 25 April; they were likely one to three weeks old. The reimbursement programme paid $2,000 per wolf through the season ending in June, covering expenses such as fuel, ammunition and clothing. Idaho’s 2023 management plan calls for reducing the population to about 650 wolves in spring, and state biologists confirmed the animals were pups; no state rule prohibits killing them.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.