Wisconsin News

9 wolves killed by federal officials in northern Wisconsin after threatening behavior to humans

October 3, 2026

Nine wolves were killed by federal officials in northern Wisconsin in late August and early September, following “a series of verified threats to human health and safety,” according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

In a statement Friday afternoon, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin DNR said the threats to humans occurred in rural Price County and were reported between July 2025 through August 2026.

Prior to pursuing euthanasia, the DNR recommended “numerous non-lethal measures,” like removing potential attractants, auditory harassment, increasing lighting and increasing human activity.

“Unfortunately, these did not resolve the issue,” the spokesperson said. “Reports demonstrated a pattern of behavioral escalation, with the wolves showing less response to hazing and more acclimation to human presence.”

In late August and early September, the nine wolves were “trapped and humanely euthanized” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services division, within the agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

A spokesperson for the USDA said the Wildlife Services program does not have a decision-making role in wolf issues.

“We investigate and let the state know if it was a probable or confirmed threat — if it wasn’t, we also let them know that,” the USDA spokesperson said in a statement. “The Wisconsin DNR has the authority to determine, based on the severity of the threat, the next steps.”

The DNR says the agency was in contact with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service throughout the decision-making process, and the “lethal removal actions were taken” under authorities of the the Endangered Species Act.

“The DNR acknowledges the sensitivity of these actions,” the DNR spokesperson stated. “Such decisions are not made lightly.”

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was the first to report the wolf deaths. The paper reported that the wolves were all believed to be part of the same pack.

Wolf attacks on humans are rare. There have only been two fatal wolf attacks on humans across North America in the last 20 years. Researchers have documented at least 26 fatal wolf attacks worldwide from 2002 to 2020.

This is the first time wolves were killed by officials in Wisconsin since a federal court ruling in 2022 gave gray wolves endangered species protections in the lower 48 states.

The DNR has been monitoring Wisconsin’s wolf population since the 1970s. The agency released projections this summer showing the state’s wolf population fell slightly this year. They estimated this year’s population was 1,162 wolves in about 321 packs, down slightly from last year’s estimate of 1,225 and the 2024 estimate of 1,311.

The removal of the nine wolves in northern Wisconsin is expected to “have no lasting negative biological impact on the wolf population in the area,” the DNR spokesperson stated.

The state is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to transfer the remains of the euthanized wolves to the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission as a recognition of “the profound cultural and spiritual significance for the Ojibwe and other tribes,” the DNR spokesperson added.