It apparently had sought the cold water to soothe puncture and gash wounds on its legs and cheek, and froze to death perhaps Tuesday or Wednesday, Adrian Wydeven, a DNR endangered species ecologist, said. A necropsy at the National Wildlife Health Research Center laboratory in Madison was performed Friday and determined the wolf, a yearling that had just dispersed from the pack in which she was raised, was attacked by other wolves, Moss said. Like a wolf found dead Dec. 2 in Washburn County, it had a radio collar for research study. Some 20 wolves had been captured by DNR biologists last summer and equipped with the collars so researchers could track them as they ventured out to find mated and establish new territories. The wolf found dead in Washburn County had been shot apparently during the last weekend of the gun deer hunt, the DNR said.
Wolves are on the federal and state endangered species list.
The DNR says there are between 99 and 105 wolves in Wisconsin in 31 territories that cover 13 counties.