Idaho officials paid hunters thousands of dollars to kill a dozen newborn wolf pups this spring, according to state records reported by The Guardian. The outlet said the records were shared with it and with Public Domain, and that they include what appears to be at least one full litter killed in or near its den.
The Guardian's summary says the state paid $2,000 per kill as part of an effort to shrink Idaho's wolf population. The summary does not identify the hunters who were paid, the areas where the killings took place, or the specific dates of each kill, and the available text ends before the full report.
The Guardian also reported that wildlife advocates were incensed by the documents. The article was written by Roque Planas and published on November 6, 2026.
Several points remain unclear from the material available. The summary does not say whether state officials have responded to the findings or how the payments were arranged. Public Domain, which also received the records, is named in the Guardian's report, but no separate reporting from that outlet was provided for this story.
Because this account relies on a single summary of the Guardian's report, the figures and descriptions here are as stated by The Guardian and have not been checked against the underlying state records.