OR-7 goes off the radar - News - DailyTidings.com - Ashland, OR

Ashland Daily Tidings (Ashland, OR — Wayback)

2015-11-02

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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation  |  Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED   » NEWS NOW   Goodwill plans holiday bazaar       ...       Opening day set for ice rink       ...       SOU neighbors vent about exhaust noise from remodeled science building       ...       Goodwill plans holiday bazaar       ...       Opening day set for ice rink       ...       SOU neighbors vent about exhaust noise from remodeled science building       ...           WILDLIFE OR-7 goes off the radar Comment By The Associated Press DailyTidings.com By The Associated Press Posted Oct. 30, 2015 at 8:23 PM By The Associated Press Posted Oct. 30, 2015 at 8:23 PM »  Social News BEND — The wolf OR-7 became globally famous when he took off from his northeast Oregon pack four years ago and wandered thousands of miles in search of a mate, his movement tracked by a GPS satellite. His actions now be much harder to track. Wildlife officials say the collar that transmitted his location through satellites and radio signals has stopped working. "It all finally wore out," said John Stephenson, Oregon wolf coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Bend. "The battery died, basically." Without the regular information, biologists rely on trail cameras and in-person sightings to monitor him, Stephenson told the Bend Bulletin. Knowing the electronics were close to blinking out, state and federal wildlife managers made three attempts — last summer, last fall and early this spring — to trap OR-7 or another member of his Rogue Pack, said Mark Vargas, district wildlife biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in Medford. The hope was to replace the batteries and keep the GPS data coming in and the radio signal going from OR-7 or track the pack by collaring another one of the wolves. "We'd love to get a collar back on OR-7," Vargas said, "but that didn't happen." People around the world tracked OR-7 when he set off from the Imnaha Pack four years ago, wandering thousands of miles through Oregon, into Northern California and back. He found a mate, settled in the Cascade Range in Southern Oregon and has had five pups. None of the wolves in the pack has a working tracking collar. Although not able to track and locate OR-7 like before, Stephenson and Vargas know where he and his pack roam. For the past three years, the wolf and his mate have hunted and raised pups around the Sky Lakes Wilderness Area between Prospect and Fort Klamath. Now 6 years old, OR-7 left his pack when he was 2. His three older pups, born last year, are full-sized yearlings and may set out on their own soon. "(It) wouldn't be surprising if one of them took off this fall," Stephenson said. By The Associated Press DailyTidings.com By The Associated Press Posted Oct. 30, 2015 at 8:23 PM » Comment or view comments   Reader Reaction »  STAY INFORMED   Email NewsLetter   Sign Up Today   Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed   Email newsletter   Sign Up Today   Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.    Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Service  |  Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501